April 1, 1984: Marvin Gaye is fatally shot by his father ~ R.I.P. MARVIN GAYE

April 1, 1984: Marvin Gaye is fatally shot by his father ~ R.I.P. MARVIN GAYE

April 1, 1984:

Marvin Gaye is fatally shot by his father. ..

MARVIN GAYE was named after his Pentecostal preacher father, Marvin Gay Sr. (the "e" was added later when he began his recording career). Like so many others who became stars, Marvin began his singing life in church.

Marvin’s life was greatly affected by his experience as a child craving the affection of his incessantly disapproving authoritarian father. When it was discovered that Marvin had a talent for singing, he was chastised for using it for secular music instead of gospel. Even though Marvin wanted to please his father, he was also angry and confused by him. Reverend Marvin Gay Senior was a puritanical preacher by day, was a wife abuser and cross-dresser by night. The life and music of Marvin Gaye reflected such contradictions: a world famous pop star and sex symbol, surrounded by money, women and drugs, pained by the guilt of vice and indiscipline.

Marvin’s first stop on his trek to stardom was with a doo-wop group called The Marquees

RECORDED FOR CHESS
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF BO DIDDLEY

a group which was absorbed into the legendary Harvey Fuqua’s Harvey and the Moonglows. By 1960, Harvey Fuqua had met Gwen Gordy and the couple embarked on both a personal and professional relationship. That year, the couple formed two record labels, the self-named Harvey Records, and Tri-Phi Records. Gaye was signed to the former label, whose other members included a young David Ruffin and Junior Walker. He provided drums for The Spinners' first hit, "That's What Girls Are Made For",which was released on Tri-Phi. Stories on how Gaye eventually met Berry Gordy

and how he signed to Motown Records vary...

He recorded several tracks with the Washington D.C./Chicago based band when, in 1961, he caught the attention of Berry Gordy. The musical svengali signed Gaye to his legendary R&B record label, Motown Records.

Early days at Motown

Joining Motown in 1961 as a session drummer, Marvin Gay Jr added an 'e' to the end of his name as he emerged as a talented singer…

Struggling to come to terms with what to do with his career, Gaye worked mainly behind the scenes, becoming a janitor, and also settled for session work playing drums on several recordings, which continued for several years.

One of Gaye's first professional gigs for Motown was as a road drummer for The Miracles It wasn’t long after that tour that he became a major Motown star - with singles like "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"

"I'll Be Doggone"

"Ain't That Peculiar"

EVERY TUNE GOING TOP 10!!!

Gaye applied drumming on several Motown records for artists such as the Miracles, Mary Wells, The Contours and The Marvelettes.

Gaye was also a drummer for early recordings by The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas and Little Stevie Wonder. Gaye drummed on the Marvelettes hits, "Please Mr. Postman", "Playboy" and "Beechwood 4-5789" (a song he co-wrote). Later on, Gaye would be noted as the drummer in both the studio and live recordings of Wonder's "Fingertips" and as one of two drummers behind Martha and the Vandellas' landmark hit, "Dancing in the Street", another composition by Gaye, originally intended for Kim Weston.

Gaye continued to play drums for Motown acts even after gaining fame on his own merit.

Marvin & Tammi

Marvin teamed up with Tammi Terrell for a number of love-duet albums and hit singles, like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

"You're All I Need to Get By"

By 1968, unfortunately, Gaye experienced the first of many tragedies. While on stage in Cleveland, Ohio, his singing partner, 26-year-old Tammi Terrell, passed out. She had been stricken with a brain tumor which eventually led to her death in 1970. Tragically, Terrell was then diagnosed as suffering from an incurable brain tumour. Though their relationship was strictly platonic, Gaye felt an immense love for Terrell and was devastated by her untimely death, and a deeply affected Gaye went into seclusion…

Even so, in 1968, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", a cover of a Gladys Knight & The Pips song, was Gaye's biggest hit yet, reaching No.1 worldwide and selling four million copies…

It was in the soul-searching period following Tammi Terrel’s death that Gaye recorded "What's Going On", a jazzy social commentary that was markedly different from his previous work…

It was a surprise hit single, leading to a full album of the same name; What's Going On (1971) was a huge critical and commercial success, and is considered one of soul music's defining albums and one of the finest records of the 70s. Taking jazz and funk styles, and lyrics about societal problems, the environment, love and war, it proved to be Gaye's greatest achievement…

And then into a new direction with the explicitly sexual Let's Get It On (1973)…

The early 80s were also a difficult time for Gaye. By now he was struggling with tax problems and a heavy cocaine addiction that was causing unpredictable behaviour. In Our Lifetime was released in 1981 without Gaye's permission - Motown had got tired of his endless procrastination...

But, 1982 saw another smash hit single - "Sexual Healing", from the album Midnight Love. (That was to be his last lifetime release).

Following more depression and paranoia, Gaye moved back into his parents' house, where he continually argued with his resentful father. After one argument, Gaye knocked over and kicked his father.

Gay Sr. returned minutes later with a handgun in his hand, and shot his son through the heart. Marvin Gaye died on April 1, 1984,

murdered by his father with a gun he had bought him for Christmas…

Marvin was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Gaye at number 6 on its list of the Greatest Singers of All Time, and ranked at number 18 on 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He was also ranked at number 20 on VH1's list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time…

R.I.P. MARVIN

~ THANKS FOR THE MUSIC!!!

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