Prince of Motown

An Overview of Marvin Gaye’s Musical Career

Marvin Gaye got his musical start early in life. As the son of a minister, Gaye’s initial foray into the musical world was through playing piano and the drums in church (Ritz). His singing career began in early adolescence, but was limited to church revivals, spiritual ballads, and gospel songs until he developed a passion and love for R&B and doo-wop in the mid-1950s (Biography.com). That love for R&B and doo-wop set the scene for his early career and led him to a vocal group called Harvey and the Moonglows and to a partnership with Berry Gordy Jr. and Motown Records (Mowtown Museum). 

Artwork for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1967). • Tamla/Motown

 

Gaye’s official partnership with Motown Records began in the late 1950s as a session drummer following his brief, but impressive stint with the Moonglows (Motown Museum). His first few years as a signed artist consisted of mostly behind-the-scenes and supporting roles for more popular Motown artists (Biography.com). As Gaye began to show more promise and success as a musician and artist, Berry Gordy Jr. gave him the means to produce his first certified Motown hit “Stubborn Kind of Fellow” in 1961. His next big hit, “Hitch Hike” broke into the Top 40 in 1962 and opened greater doors for Gaye as a solo artist. Gaye quickly shot to stardom and followed his first hit with a series of other traditionally produced Motown singles (Motown Museum). His prowess and status as an artist led to several successful collaborations with other popular Motown artists like Kim Weston, Diana Ross, Mary Wells, and Tammi Terrell. Of these collaborations, Gaye’s duet performances “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You” with Tammi Terrell had the biggest impact on R&B (Motown Museum)

As he grew in popularity and gained the confidence and agency to take greater musical risks, Gaye became inspired by the growing violence, police brutality, and political unrest happening within his community and with the Vietnam War and created the song “What’s Going On” in 1971 (Ritz). Despite clashes with Motown execs who maintained that the song and its message did not reflect the traditional Motown sound or values, the song and its album became extremely popular and established Gaye as an artist above and beyond his relationship with Motown Records (What’s Going On). His deviation from the traditional Motown sound and his subsequent success pushed Gaye to take greater musical risks which eventually resulted in him leaving the label. 

Gaye’s first wife, Anna Gordy, who was 17 years his senior. Anna Gordy was also the sister of Motown founder, Berry Gordy. • Getty Images

Despite growing tensions between Gaye and Motown execs, Gaye followed the label when Motown Records relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles in the early 1970s. Further emboldened by his success as a solo artist and inspired to change his musical sound, Gaye worked with Ed Townsend to create the critically acclaimed song “Let’s Get It On” in 1973.  The day that he recorded this song in the LA studio was the day that he met Janis Hunter, the woman who would later become his second wife  (What’s Going On). Reports from the studio suggest the sensuality captured in the final recording was driven by Gaye’s physical attraction to Hunter, who was 17 at the time (Jackson 2002; Gaye & Ritz 2015). Sometime after this initial meeting, Hunter and Gaye began a physical relationship which ultimately caused greater strife between Gaye and Motown execs. Gaye’s relationship with his first wife, Anna Gordy, a Motown exec and the sister of Berry Gordy Jr., though estranged, was still legally binding and his relationship with the much younger Hunter was grounds for criticism and controversy. During this period of romantic strife which resulted in his official divorce from Gordy in 1975 and his official marriage to Hunter in 1978, Gaye capitalized on the success of “Let’s Get It On” through tours, collaborations, and a final Motown album called Here, My Dear in 1978, before finally leaving Motown Records (Ritz). 

Marvin and Janis Gaye. • Source: New York Post courtesy of Janis Gaye

 

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