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Marvin Gaye: Motown Records
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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 The Stylistics's "You Are Everything" at #5 and "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" at #25, respectively.
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In 1960 Gaye and Fuqua moved to Detroit, where they teamed up with Berry Gordy, Jr., the determined entrepreneur who had founded the Motown Record Corporation one year before. After about a year as a backup singer, studio musician, and drummer for Smokey Robinson's band and other Motown acts, Gaye signed a contract with the company as a solo artist. Shortly thereafter, he married Gordy's thirty-seven-year-old sister, Anna, a move that elicited severe criticism from those who saw the Gaye-Gordy marriage as blatant opportunism. Nonetheless, with Anna's encouragement, Gaye entered the studio and recorded his first album, The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye (1961), a modest collection of subdued, jazz-influenced ballads. After recording several more albums that failed to impress critics, Gaye was urged to modify his sound to conform to the increasingly popular genre of rhythm and blues (R&B) music. Somewhat begrudgingly, Gaye did so, recording his self-referential "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," which quickly reached the top-ten list.
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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.
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Shortly after Marvin Gaye turned 30, he became the first Motown artist with a measure of creative control. What's Going On was the result, surely Marvin's finest moment and, along with a number of Stevie ...Read full review
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Marvin dropped out of high school to join the Air Force, but was discharged for his inability to follow instruction. He then began singing on the street corners with the Doo-Wop group called The Rainbows in 1955. His talent caught the attention of Harvey Fuqua who would join Marvin Gaye with The Moonglows, a five-part harmony group in 1959. After The Moonglows broke up, Fuqua took Marvin to Detroit to meet Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown. Gordy was attracted to Marvin Gaye's three-octave vocal and graceful tenor.
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After high school, Gaye joined the United States Air Force and then, after being discharged, joined several doo wop groups, settling on the Rainbows, a popular local group in DC. With Bo Diddley, the Rainbows released a single, "Wyatt Earp" (1958, Okeh) and were then recruited by Harvey Fuqua to become the Moonglows. "Mama Loocie" (1959, Chess Records) was Gaye's first single with the Moonglows. After a concert in Detroit, Michigan, Gaye was recruited for a solo career by Berry Gordy Jr. of Motown Records.
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