Information AboutMarvin Gaye |
Marvin Gaye (born '''Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr.''') ( April 2 , 1939 – April 1 , 1984 ) was an American Soul and R&B singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, record producer and performer who gained international fame as an artist on the Motown label in the 1960s and 1970s . Beginning his career at Motown in 1961 , Gaye quickly became Motown's top solo male artist and scored numerous hits during the 1960s, among them " Stubborn Kind Of Fellow ", " How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) ", " I Heard It Through The Grapevine ", and several hit duets with Tammi Terrell , including " Ain't No Mountain High Enough " and " You're All I Need To Get By ", before moving on to his own form of musical self-expression. Gaye is notable for fighting the hit-making, but creatively restrictive, Motown record-making process, in which performers and songwriters and record producers were generally kept in separate camps.Garofalo, pgs. 261-262 With his successful 1971 album '' What's Going On '' and subsequent releases including '' Trouble Man '' and '' Let's Get It On '', Gaye, who was a part-time songwriter for Motown artists during his early years with the label, proved that he could write and produce his own singles without having to rely on the Motown system. This achievement (along with those of contemporaries, Curtis Mayfield and George Clinton ), would pave the way for the successes of later self-sufficient singer-songwriter-producers in African American Music , such as Stevie Wonder , Luther Vandross , and Babyface . During the 1970s, Gaye would release several other notable albums, including '' Let's Get It On '' and '' I Want You '', and had hits with singles such as " Let's Get It On ", " Got To Give It Up ", and, in the early 1980s, " Sexual Healing ". By the time of his death in 1984 at the hands of his Clergyman father, Gaye had become one of the most influential artists of the Soul Music era. BIOGRAPHY '']] Early life and career Marvin Gaye was born the first son and second eldest of four children to Rev. Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr and Alberta Cooper. His sisters, Jeanne and Zeola, younger brother Frankie and Marvin lived in the Segregated section of Washington, D.C. 's Deanwood neighborhood in the northeastern section of the city. As a teen, he caddied at Columbia Country Club just outside of D.C. in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Gaye's father preached in a Seventh-day Adventist Church sect called the House Of God , which went by a strict code of conduct and mixed teachings of Orthodox Judaism and Pentecostal ism. As a child growing up in his father's church, Marvin started singing and playing instruments in the choir. After dropping out of Cardozo High School , Gaye joined the United States Air Force . He was discharged because he refused to follow orders.http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0913051_marvin_gaye_1.html After dropping out of the Air Forces in 1957, Gaye began his music career in several Doo Wop groups, settling on The Marquees, a popular D.C. group. With Bo Diddley , The Marquees released a single, "Wyatt Earp", in 1958 on Okeh Records and were then recruited by Harvey Fuqua to become The Moonglows . "Mama Loocie", released in 1959 on Chess Records , was Gaye's first single with the Moonglows and his first recorded lead. After a concert in Detroit , the "new" Moonglows disbanded and Fuqua introduced Gaye to Motown Records president Berry Gordy . He signed Gaye first as a Session Drummer for acts such as The Miracles , The Contours , Martha And The Vandellas , The Marvelettes and others, most notably playing drums on The Marvelettes ' 1961 hit, " Please Mr. Postman " and Little Stevie Wonder 's live version of 1963 hit, " Fingertips Pt. 2 ", both singles reached the number one spot of the Pop Singles Chart . After starting his recording career at documentary, Marvin's then-girlfriend and Berry's sister Anna Gordy , convinced Berry to sign Marvin after Berry agreed to let him record a contemporary pop record of jazz-styled ballads and standards. ''.]] Early success Popular and well-liked around Motown, Gaye already carried himself in a sophisticated, gentlemanly manner and had little need of training from Motown's in-house Artist Development director, Maxine Powell, though the singer did take Powell's advice on not performing with his eyes closed. In June of 1961, Gaye issued his first solo recording, '' The Soulful Moods Of Marvin Gaye '', which was the first album issued by the Motown record label besides The Miracles ' '' Hi... We're The Miracles '' album. An album of mostly Broadway Standards and Jazz -rendered Show Tunes , the record failed to chart. After arguing over direction of his career with Gordy, Gaye eventually agreed to conform to record the more R&B -rooted sounds of his label mates and contemporaries issuing three singles that were written by Gordy. His first single release, "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide", built upon a Ray Charles vibe, failed to chart as did the follow-ups, "Sandman" and "A Soldier's Plea", each released in 1962. Ironically, Gaye would find his first success as a co-songwriter on the Marvelettes' 1962 hit, " Beechwood 4-5789 ", the phone number became the most popular phone number in America until Tommy Tutone's " 867-5309 ". Finally in the fall of 1962, the single, " Stubborn Kind Of Fellow ", brought Gaye success on the R&B chart. The record, co-written by Gaye and produced by friend William "Mickey" Stevenson , featuring Martha And The Vandellas (then known as ''The Vells'', the group would sing background on Marvin's 1963 album, '' That Stubborn Kinda Fellow ''), was an autobiographical jab at Gaye's nonchalant moody behavior, became a top ten hit on the Hot R&B Songs chart. The single would be followed by his first Top 40 singles " Hitch Hike ", " Pride & Joy " and " Can I Get A Witness ", all of which were charted successes for Gaye in 1963 . The success continued with the 1964 singles " You Are A Wonderful One " (which featured background work by The Supremes ), " Try It Baby " (which featured backgrounds from The Temptations ), " Baby Don't You Do It " and " How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) ", which became his signature song. During this early success, Gaye contributed to writing Martha and the Vandellas' 1964 smash, " Dancing In The Street ". His work with Smokey Robinson on the 1966 album, '' Moods Of Marvin Gaye '', spawned two consecutive top ten singles in " I'll Be Doggone " and " Ain't That Peculiar ", both of which became the singer's first ''Billboard'' charted number-one hits of his career peaking at the top spot on the R&B singles chart. Marvin's early success granted him Teen Pop status as he became a favorite on the teen-based shows, '' American Bandstand '', '' Shindig! '', '' Hullaballoo '' and '' The Mike Douglas Show '', he also became one of the few Motown artists to perform at the Copacabana . A live album from the Copacabana show wouldn't be issued for three decades. in a 1967 promotional picture.]] Tammi Terrell See Also: Tammi Terrell A number of Gaye's hits for Motown were duets with female artists, such as Kim Weston and Mary Wells ; the first Gaye/Wells album, 1964 's '' Together '', was Gaye's first charting album. However, it was Marvin's work with Tammi Terrell that became the most popular and memorable. Terrell and Gaye had a good rapport and their first album together, 1967 's '' United '', birthed the massive hits " Ain't No Mountain High Enough " (later covered by Diana Ross and more recently, by former Doobie Brothers singer, Michael McDonald ) and " Your Precious Love ". Real life couple Nickolas Ashford And Valerie Simpson provided the writing and production for the Gaye/Terrell records; while Gaye and Terrell themselves were not lovers (though rumors persist that they may have been), they convincingly portrayed lovers on record; indeed Gaye sometimes claimed that for the durations of the songs he was in love with her. On October 14 , 1967 , Terrell collapsed into Gaye's arms onstage while they were performing at the Hampton University Homecoming in Virginia (contrary to popular belief, it was not Hampden-Sydney College , also in Virginia). She was later diagnosed with a Brain Tumor and her health continued to deteriorate. Motown decided to try and carry on with the Gaye/Terrell recordings, issuing the '' You're All I Need '' album in 1968 , which featured the hits " Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing " and " You're All I Need To Get By ". By the time of the final Gaye/Terrell album, '' Easy '' in 1969 , Terrell's vocals were performed mostly by Valerie Simpson . Two tracks on ''Easy'' were archived Terrell solo songs with Gaye's vocals overdubbed onto them. Terrell's illness put Gaye in a Depression ; when his song " I Heard It Through The Grapevine " (), previously recorded in 1967 by Gladys Knight & The Pips, became his first #1 hit and the biggest selling single in Motown history to that point with four million copies sold, he refused to acknowledge his success, feeling that it was undeserved. His work with producer Norman Whitfield , who produced "Grapevine", resulted in similar success with the singles " Too Busy Thinking About My Baby " and " That's The Way Love Is ". Meanwhile, Gaye's marriage with Anna was crumbling and he continued to feel irrelevant, singing endlessly about love while popular music underwent a revolution and began addressing social and political issues. Wanting creative control, Marvin sought to produce singles for Motown session band The Originals , whose Gaye-produced hit singles, " Baby I'm For Real " and " The Bells ", brought needed success. perform "What's Goin' On" live.]] ''What's Going On'' Tammi Terrell died of a tumor on March 16 , 1970 . Devastated by her death, Marvin was so emotional at her funeral that he'd talk to the remains as if she were going to respond. Gaye subsequently went into seclusion, and did not perform in concert for nearly two years. Gaye told friends that he had thought of quitting music, at one point trying out for the Detroit Lions (where he met acquaintances Mel Farr and Lem Barney ), but after the success of his productions with the Originals, Gaye was confident to make his own musical statement. As a result, he entered the studio on June 1 , 1970 and recorded the songs " What's Going On ", "God is Love", and "Sad Tomorrows" - an early version of "Flying High (In the Friendly Sky)". Gaye wanted to release " What's Going On " (). Motown head Berry Gordy refused, however, calling the single "uncommercial". Gaye refused to record any more until Gordy gave in and the song became a surprise hit in January 1971 . Gordy subsequently requested an entire album of similar tracks from Gaye. The '' What's Going On '' album became one of the highlights of Gaye's career and is today his best-known work. Both in terms of sound (influenced by Funk and Jazz ) and lyrical content (heavily spiritual) it was a major departure from his earlier Motown work. Two more of its singles, " Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) " and " Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) ", became Top 10 pop hits and #1 R&B hits. The album became one of the most memorable soul albums of all time and, based upon its themes, the Concept Album became the next new frontier for Soul Music . It has been called "the most important and passionate record to come out of Soul Music , delivered by one of its finest voices".John Bush,. In fact, '' What's Going On '' remains one of the few examples in modern music history where critical acclaim and immediate commercial success occurred simultaneously. Gaye received accolades. honors and numerous prestigious prices in the aftermath of the albums release. '' What's Going On '' was also the first in a series of Motown albums in which albums overtook singles in terms of commercial importance as well as in cultural significants. review of ''What's Going On'' , by Marvin Gaye, allmusic.com (accessed June 10, 2005). '' LP is among Marvin Gaye's most noted works.]] Continued success in music After the success of the soundtrack to the Blaxploitation film, '' Trouble Man '' in 1972 , Marvin decided to switch topics from social to sensual with the release of '' Let's Get It On '' (). The album was a rare departure for the singer for its blatant sensualism inspired by the success of ''What's Going On'' and Marvin's need to produce himself in his own way. Yielded by the smash Title Track and subsequent other hits such as " Come Get To This ", " You Sure Love To Ball " and " Distant Lover ". '' Let's Get It On '' became Marvin Gaye's biggest selling album during his lifetime, surpassing '' What's Going On ''. Also, with the title track, Gaye broke his own record at Motown by surpassing the sales of " I Heard It Through The Grapevine ". The album would be later hailed as "a record unparallelled in its sheer sensuality and carnal energy."Jason Ankeny, review of '' Let's Get It On'' , by Marvin Gaye, allmusic.com (accessed June 10, 2005). Gaye began working on his final duet album, this time for Diana Ross for the '' Diana & Marvin '' project, an album of duets that began recording in 1972, while Ross was pregnant with her second child. Gaye refused to sing if he couldn't smoke in the studio, so the duet album was recorded by overdubbing Ross and Gaye at separate studio session dates. Released in the fall of 1973 , the album yielded the US Top 20 hit singles " You're A Special Part Of Me and " My Mistake (Was To Love You) " as well as the UK versions of two The Stylistics 's " You Are Everything " at #5 and " Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart) " at #25, respectively. In 1976 , Gaye released the '' I Want You '' LP, which yielded the number-one R&B single, " I Want You " and the modest charter, " After The Dance ." and produced erotic album tracks such as "Since I Had You" and "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again" with its musical productions gearing Gaye towards more Funk y material. ''.]] Later years and his death In 1977, Gaye released the seminal ing the album without his consent, releasing an unfinished song ("Far Cry"), altering the album art he requested and removing the question mark from the title (rendering the intended irony imperceptible). After being offered a chance to clear things out in Oostende , Belgium , he permanently moved there in 1981. Still upset over Motown's hasty decision to release '' In Our Lifetime '', he negotiated a release from the label and signed with Columbia Records in 1982, releasing '' Midnight Love '' that year. The album included Marvin's final big hit, " Sexual Healing " (). The song gave Gaye his first two Grammy Award s (Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, Best R&B Instrumental) in February 1983. The following year, he won a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance again, this time for the ''Midnight Love'' album itself. In February 1983, Gaye gave an emotional performance of The Star-Spangled Banner at the NBA All-Star Game , held at The Forum in Inglewood, California , accompanied by a Drum Machine . In March, 1983, he gave his final performance in front of his old mentor and label for '' Motown 25 '', performing "What's Going On". He then embarked on a U.S. tour to support his album. The tour, ending in August 1983, was plagued by health problems and Gaye's bouts with depression, and fear over an alleged attempt on his life. When the tour ended, he isolated himself by moving into his parents' house. He threatened to commit Suicide several times after numerous bitter arguments with his father, Marvin, Sr. On the E! '' True Hollywood Story '' about Gaye, singer Little Richard revealed that Gaye had premonitions of his murder in his final years of life. On April 1 , 1984 , one day before his forty-fifth birthday, Gaye's father shot and killed him after an argument that had started after Marvin's parents argued over misplaced business documents. Marvin, Sr. later was sentenced to six years of probation after pleading guilty to Manslaughter . Charges of first-degree murder were dropped after doctors discovered Marvin, Sr. had a brain tumor. Spending his final years in a retirement home, he died of Pneumonia in 1998. After some posthumous releases cemented his memory in the popular consciousness, Gaye was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987. He later was inducted to Hollywood's Rock Walk in 1989 and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1990. Personal life Gaye married twice. His first marriage was to Berry Gordy, Jr. 's sister Anna Gordy (she was seventeen years his senior), who inspired some of Gaye's earlier hits including " Stubborn Kind Of Fellow " and " You Are A Wonderful One "; the marriage produced an adopted son, Marvin Pentz Gaye III (b. June 8 , 1965). Troubled from the start, the marriage permanently imploded after Gaye began courting Janis Hunter (who was seventeen years his junior), the seventeen-year-old daughter of Hipster jazz icon Slim Gaillard , in 1973 following the release of his '' Let's Get It On '' album. Hunter was also an inspiration to Gaye's music, particularly his entire post-'' What's Going On ''/'' Trouble Man '' period which included ''Let's Get It On'' and '' I Want You ''. Their relationship produced two children, Nona Marvisa Gaye (b. September 4 , 1974) and Frankie Christian Gaye (b. November 16 , 1975). Marvin and Janis married after Marvin's divorce from Anna was finalized. Shortly after their October 1977 wedding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana , however, they separated due to growing tensions between them, finally divorcing in February 1981. After Gaye's death, two of his children followed in his footsteps to show business: eldest son Marvin Pentz Gaye III became a record producer and has control of his estate, while Gaye's only daughter, Nona, became a model, an actress and a singer. His youngest child, son Frankie Christian, has not followed his siblings into show business. LEGACY, TRIBUTES AND AWARD RECOGNITIONS ''.]] Even before Gaye died, there had already been tributes to the singer. In 1983, the British group Spandau Ballet recorded the single " True " as a partial tribute to both Gaye and the Motown Sound he helped establish. A year after his death, The Commodores made reference to Gaye's death in their 1985 song '' Nightshift '' as did the Violent Femmes in their 1988 song "See My Ships". Motown alum Diana Ross also paid tribute with her Top 10 pop single " Missing You " (1985), as did Teena Marie , also a former Motown artist, with her album track "My Dear Mr. Gaye". The soul band Maze featuring Frankie Beverly recorded the tribute song, "Silky Soul" (1989), in honor of their late mentor. He was also mentioned in the next-to-last choral verse of George Michael 's record, "John & Elvis are Dead", featured on his album, ''Patience''.
In 1987, Marvin was inducted posthumously to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame with Marvin's first wife Anna Gordy and son Marvin III accepting for Marvin. He was later given his own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1990. In 1996, he was posthumously awarded with the Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement Award and was honored in song by admirers Annie Lennox and Seal . In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #18 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time .1 Throughout his long career, Gaye scored a total of forty-one charts in total spanning five decades including five posthumous releases. The year a remix of Marvin's "Let's Get It On" was released to Urban Adult Contemporary radio, "Let's Get It On" was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 units, making it the best-selling single of all time on Motown in the United States . Gaye's " I Heard It Through The Grapevine " holds the title of the best-selling international Motown single of all time, with high sales explained by a re-release in Europe following a Levi's 501 Jeans commercial in 1986. In 2005, rock group A Perfect Circle released "What's Going On" as part of an anti-war CD titled ''eMOTIVe''. The next year, it was announced that rock group the Strokes was going to cover Marvin's " Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) " on their next album. In October 2005, a discussion was delivered at Marvin's hometown of Washington, D.C. 's City Council to change the name of a park located at Marvin's childhood neighborhood from Watts Branch Park to Marvin Gaye Park and was soon offered so for $5 million to make the name change a reality. The park was renamed on April 2 , 2006 on what would've been Marvin's sixty-seventh birthday. A documentary about Gaye's life and death - ''What's Going On: The Marvin Gaye Story'' - was a UK/PBS USA co-production, directed by Jeremy Marre . Gaye is referenced as one of the supernatural acts to appear in the Short Story and later Television version of Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes in '' You Know They Got A Hell Of A Band ''. A Marvin Gaye biopic, titled ''Marvin - The Marvin Gaye Story'', is being set for production in 2007 by Producer Duncan McGillivray (Film by Humans Production Co., LLC) with singer Roberta Flack supervising on the music. It will be a full-scale, $40 million dollar biopic of the entire life story of Gaye. A play co-composed by Gaye's baby sister Zeola about the singer is currently playing. It has been currently announced that Hip-O Select will re-release Gaye's '' In Our Lifetime '' as a two-disc deluxe edition issue featuring the original and alternate cuts of the album's tracks and will also release the songs Gaye worked on for the aborted ''Love Man'' album. DISCOGRAPHY ''For further information, see: Marvin Gaye Discography ''. U.S. and UK Top Ten Singles The following singles reached the Top Ten of either the United States pop singles chart or the United Kingdom pop singles chart. Top Ten Albums The following albums reached the Top Ten on either the United States pop albums chart or the United Kingdom pop albums chart.
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