Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr.) (April 2, 1939 ? April 1, 1984) was an African American pop, soul, and R&B singer, arranger, musician, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer who gained international fame during the 1960s and 1970s as an artist on the Motown label. His best records are still highly regarded, and he is often cited as one of the finest singers of his era.

Legacy and tributes

Even before Gaye died, there had already been tributes to the singer. In 1983, the British group Spandau Ballet recorded the single "True" as a partial tribute to both Gaye and the Motown sound he helped establish. A year after his death, The Commodores made reference to Gaye's death in their 1985 song "Night Shift" as did the Violent Femmes in their 1988 song "See My Ships". Former Motown alum Diana Ross also paid tribute with her Top 10 pop single "Missing You" (1985) while the soul band Maze featuring Frankie Beverly recorded the tribute song, "Silky Soul" (1989), in honor of their late mentor. Marvin Gaye was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame three years later in 1990.

Related Topics:
1983 - British - Spandau Ballet - Motown sound - The Commodores - 1985 - Violent Femmes - Motown - Diana Ross - Maze - Frankie Beverly - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - 1987 - Star - 1990

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1999, the R&B world paid its respects to Gaye in a tribute album, Marvin Is 60. In October 2001, an all-star cover of "What's Going On", produced by Jermaine Dupri, was issued as a benefit single, credited to "Artists Against AIDS Worldwide". The single, which was a reaction to the September 11, 2001 tragedy as well as to the AIDS crisis, featured contributions from a plethora of stars, including Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Nelly Furtado, Alicia Keys, Aaron Lewis of the rock group StainD, Nas, *NSYNC, P. Diddy, ?uestlove of The Roots, Britney Spears, and Gwen Stefani http://www.aaaw.org/press/pr_10_22_01.html. The "What's Going On" cover also featured Marvin Gaye's only daughter, Nona Gaye, a successful singer and actress in her own right.

Related Topics:
1999 - October - 2001 - Jermaine Dupri - September 11, 2001 - AIDS - Christina Aguilera - Mary J. Blige - Bono - Mariah Carey - Destiny's Child - Fred Durst - Limp Bizkit - Nelly Furtado - Alicia Keys - Aaron Lewis - StainD - Nas - *NSYNC - P. Diddy - ?uestlove - The Roots - Britney Spears - Gwen Stefani - Nona Gaye - Actress

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As noted, Gaye helped give rise to the "singer-songwriter" in African American and encompassing black music. In addition, Gaye's music was often used as one of the reference point for what became known as neo soul in the late-1990s: a nostalgic-based sound that seeks to duplicate a 1970s soul music feel, while adding hip hop and contemporary R&B elements to the mix. Though his work is widely influential, it eventually became a neo-soul cliche to cite Gaye, Stevie Wonder, or Donny Hathaway as an influence, regardless of whether or not the citing artists' music actually reflected the qualities and creativity inherent in Gaye's work.

Related Topics:
Neo soul - 1990s - 1970s - Soul music - Hip hop - R&B - Stevie Wonder - Donny Hathaway

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gaye can also be seen as a groundbreaker to many self-made black singers and musicians, who took his examples that he brought out in his music, including multitracked vocals and personal self-expression through music. These examples led to the diverse careers of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince, Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie and Babyface, to name a few. To this day, modern pop and R&B stars name Gaye as a huge influence, including 2000s R&B superstars Usher and Alicia Keys. Gaye's music played a very important part in the career of R. Kelly, who has currently produced records for The Isley Brothers in a similar Gaye sound to note his influence. Kelly has also used a "divided soul" tactic, similar to that of Gaye, to express himself musically.

Related Topics:
Stevie Wonder - Michael Jackson - Prince - Luther Vandross - Lionel Richie - Babyface - 2000s - Usher - Alicia Keys - R. Kelly - The Isley Brothers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a hitmaker, Gaye scored an impressive total of 41 Top 40 hit singles on Billboards Pop Singles chart from 1963 to 2001, 61 Top 40 R&B singles chart hits from 1962 to 2001, 17 Top 10 singles on the pop chart, 32 Top 10 singles on the R&B chart, 3 #1 Pop hits and 13 #1 R&B hits (the fourth biggest male artist to have the most #1 hits on the R&B chart only behind fellow soul pioneers Michael Jackson, James Brown and Stevie Wonder) in total. In all, Gaye has had a total of 67 singles on the Billboard charts in total (be it Pop and/or R&B in all), spanning five decades.

Related Topics:
Top 40 - Billboard - Pop Singles chart - 1963 - 2001 - Top 10 - James Brown

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2001, rapper/producer Erick Sermon, took an outtake from a 1982 Gaye song and remixed it so he could collaborate with Gaye in spirit. The result, "Music", became one of the top singles of the year peaking in the Top 5 on both the Billboard R&B and rap charts and hitting #21 on the pop charts. Four years later, in 2005, a duo of modern R&B producers re-tooled Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and remixed the song to make it more danceable. Released to radio under the name, "Let's Get It On (The MPG Groove Mix)", the song hit the charts all over again proving Gaye was still relevant years after his death. In 2005, rock group A Perfect Circle released "What's Going On" as part of an anti-war CD titled "eMOTIVe".

Related Topics:
2001 - Erick Sermon - Outtake - Music - 2005

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~