Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr.
(April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984)
was an American
R&B and soul singer,
songwriter,
musician and record producer.
Commonly referred to as the
"Prince of Motown"
and
"Prince of Soul",
he helped to shape
the sound of
Motown and soul music
in the 1960s and 1970s.
A cultural icon,
Gaye is often considered
one of the
greatest singers
and songwriters
of all time.
Born and raised in
Washington, D.C.,
Gaye began his career
being guided by
Harvey Fuqua,
who put him in his group,
Harvey and the Moonglows,
before Gaye ventured
into a solo career
at the beginning of
the 1960s.
Signing to Motown's
Tamla subsidiary,
he achieved stardom
with a series of
hit singles such as
"How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)",
"Ain't That Peculiar"
and
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
and also earned success
as a collaborative
duet partner
with several
female artists,
most notably,
Diana Ross
and
Tammi Terrell,
the latter of whom
he recorded the hits
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
and
"You're All I Need to Get By".
Following the successful
release of his landmark album,
What's Going On
and its hit of
the same name,
in 1971,
Gaye became one
of the first
Motown artists
to break away
from the reins of a
production company,
later producing the albums,
Let's Get It On,
I Want You
and
Here, My Dear.
After a period as a
tax exile in Europe
and leaving
Motown for
Columbia Records
in 1982,
Gaye re-emerged
that year with
"Sexual Healing"
and its album,
Midnight Love,
which became his
most successful single
and album
respectively to date
and performed a
memorable rendition of
"The Star-Spangled Banner"
at the 1983
NBA All-Star Game.
The success of
"Sexual Healing"
led to Gaye winning an
American Music Award
and
two Grammy Awards.
On April 1, 1984,
Gaye was shot
and killed
by his father,
Marvin Gay Sr.
at his parents' house
in Western Heights, Los Angeles,
on the eve of his
45th birthday.
Gay Sr.
later pleaded
no contest to
voluntary manslaughter,
receiving a six-year
suspended sentence
and five years
of probation
.In addition to
1960s soul music,
Gaye also influenced
1970s soul music
and his recordings
of that era
later influenced
the R&B subgenres
quiet storm
and neo soul.
Several of his hit singles
and albums
have made
several best-of
Rolling Stone lists,
including its
greatest albums
and greatest songs
of all time.
In addition to
the two Grammys
and American Music Award,
Gaye's accolades include
the Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award,
a Hollywood
Walk of Fame star
and inductions into
the NAACP
Hall of Fame,
National
Rhythm and Blues
Hall of Fame,
Songwriters
Hall of Fame
and the
Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame.
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