Legendary Bands - Marvin Gaye Posters

The most versatile vocalist in Motown's mid-'60s calvacade of stars ultimately has proven to be the most influential. Marvin Gaye's epochal What's Going On LP (1971) not only signaled the demise of the label's hit factory approach, but inspired countless black artists to take greater personal control of their music. His signature spacey grooves and free-floating vocals remain remarkably contemporary, and virtually all of today's up-and-coming R&B neo-classicists (D'Angelo, Tony Rich, Maxwell) worship at the feats of Gaye's idyll.

Born on April 2, 1939 in Washington, D.C., Gaye began his career singing doo-wop, eventually joining the Moonglows. He signed to Motown in '61 and racked up the first of what would be nearly 40 pop hits ("Stubborn Kind Of Fellow") a year later. Ballads, dance numbers and duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross were all part of the magic of Marvin, but even if he would've recorded nothing else, his eerie, brooding remake of "I Heard It Though The Grapevine" would've made him a cult hero.

The pointedly political, self-produced What's Going On LP kicked off the second phase of Gaye's career. The hits weren't as frequent, but they were massive: the title cut to the Trouble Man soundtrack, "Let's Get It On," "I Want You," "Got To Give It Up." When a judge mandated Gaye turn over the money earned by his next album to his ex-wife, Anna Gordy (Motown founder Berry's sister), he responded with the bitter Here, My Dear, as painful a personal expression as was ever committed to vinyl.

Financial, marital, and chemical problems sent Gaye into European exile. When he returned, it was on a new label (Columbia), and "Sexual Healing" was a certifiable smash. Gaye was shot to death by his father on April 1, 1984. Three years later, he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.