Marvin Gaye Is Born

1939

Marvin Gaye is born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. in Washington, DC.

As Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., he's a pastor's kid who earns favor by singing in church from the time he is four years old. The kid grows up to be a troubled teenager who escapes the abuse at home by singing in various doo-wop groups and running away to serve an ill-fated stint in the Army. He even finds mild success as a session singer and member of the vocal quartet The Marquees. But that's where the story of Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. ends and the story of Marvin Gaye begins. After being discovered by The Moonglows' Harvey Fuqua, the singer adds the 'e' to his surname, allegedly to halt questions about his sexuality but also to sever the connection to his abusive father. As Marvin Gaye, the singer helps shape the Motown sound with solo hits like "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and a string of duets with Tammi Terrell ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing"). Although ten albums had established his reputation as The Prince of Soul throughout the '60s, Gaye's private life is a royal mess. His marriage to Anna Gordy - Motown founder Berry Gordy's sister - is in shambles, he is addicted to cocaine, hunted by the IRS, and he watches Tammi Terrell die in his arms (of a malignant brain tumor). His dreams of becoming a professional football player for the Detroit Lions are also shattered. By 1971, he has every right to ask What's Going On? But his next album is not about his own troubles, but the troubles going on in the world through the eyes of a Vietnam veteran, such as police brutality ("What's Going On"), poverty ("Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)") and environmental issues ("Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"). The landmark album, written and produced by Gaye, proves that soul music can be both sexy and socially conscious. Gaye continues to record six more albums throughout the '70s and early '80s until he is fatally shot by his father when the two fight on April 1, 1984, just one day before his 45th birthday. Gay Sr. is eventually charged with voluntary manslaughter and given a suspended six-year sentence and probation.