Blending soulful vocals with a melodic, mid-tempo beat, Marvin Gaye introduced a new kind of rhythmic pop to the mainstream. The drive to produce commercially successful material -- a goal Gaye personally deemed insignificant -- eventually took its toll on the...
[more]Blending soulful vocals with a melodic, mid-tempo beat, Marvin Gaye introduced a new kind of rhythmic pop to the mainstream. The drive to produce commercially successful material -- a goal Gaye personally deemed insignificant -- eventually took its toll on the sensitive artist. But though he never quite knew how to handle his popularity, this reluctant pop star nevertheless left behind a sincere musical legacy.
The son of an apostolic preacher, Gaye grew up in Washington, D.C., where he began his career doo-wopping with friends on street corners. He eventually formed the Marquees, a group that was picked up by the Chess label. Renamed the Moonglows, they performed as a back-up band for vocalist Harvey Fuqua. During a gig in Detroit in 1961, Gaye caught the eye of Berry Gordy Jr. of Motown Records, the label that would be Gaye's home for the next 20 years.
During the 1960s, Gaye's career was defined by his relationship with Motown. Although he gave the company 20 hits in ten years, he resented its vise-like grip. Collaborating constantly with other Motown artists like Mary Wells and Tammi Terrell, he was an automated hit-maker, part of a musical conglomerate. Gaye despised the Motown regime, which ignored his urge to evolve into a more contemporary artist.
Finally realizing that it might lose its greatest asset, Motown granted Gaye (along with Stevie Wonder) unprecedented control over future albums. Gaye's 1971 release "What's Going On," with its coverage of topics like Vietnam, Civil Rights, and ecology, ruffled Motown feathers but eventually moved to the top of the charts. Strictly a "Gaye production," the album spawned three top-ten singles and garnered critical praise for its conceptual form. Two years later, Gaye abandoned the political for the sensual with "Let's Get it On," an ode to sexuality that presaged his later work.
After an overseas stint in 1982, Gaye returned to California, left Motown for Columbia Records, moved in with his parents, and made a comeback. "Midnight Love" was an instant hit, and the single "Sexual Healing" earned him a Grammy in 1983. Despite this success, Gaye grappled with depression and substance abuse. According to his biographer, Gaye was a "divided soul" who couldn't reconcile his apparent conflict between religious discipline and unbridled hedonism.
Gaye was never allowed to unify his divided soul -- instead, he died in front of his father's gun in 1984, after one of their all-too-frequent shouting matches grew serious. It was a tragic end to a life of undeniable talent that transformed soul music into an accessible, contemporary gem.
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