60 Fun Facts About Marvin Gaye

In which U.S. city was Marvin Gaye born and raised?

He was born at Freedman's Hospital in 1939 and grew up in public housing in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood, an area he and his friends nicknamed 'Simple City'.

Which Motown subsidiary label released Marvin Gaye's music?

Harvey Fuqua brought him to Berry Gordy, and he reportedly signed on September 19, 1960, selling Fuqua's half-interest in him to the label.

Marvin Gaye's first Billboard Hot 100 number one, in December 1968, was his recording of which song?

It stayed on top for seven consecutive weeks and sold more than four million copies, but lost the Grammy to Otis Redding's '(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay'.

Which duet partner collapsed in Marvin Gaye's arms on stage in October 1967?

Doctors found a malignant brain tumor; she died in March 1970 after seven operations, and Gaye was devastated.

Which Four Tops member brought Marvin Gaye the idea for 'What's Going On' after a Berkeley rally?

Berry Gordy refused to release the song at first, calling it too political for radio, so Gaye refused to record anything else until it came out.

How many days did Marvin Gaye spend recording the What's Going On album in March 1971?

He had won creative control by giving Motown an ultimatum, and remixed the album in Hollywood before its May release.

Which two Detroit Lions players sang harmony vocals on 'What's Going On'?

Gaye had tried to join the Lions after Tammi Terrell's death; the team declined a tryout but the friendships stuck, and both men later received gold records.

Which sister of Berry Gordy did Marvin Gaye marry in June 1963?

The contentious marriage ended in 1977 after a two-year divorce trial, and later inspired an entire album.

Which 1978 Marvin Gaye album was recorded so part of its royalties could go to his first wife as alimony?

It performed poorly at the time but was later ranked among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

In which Belgian seaside town did Marvin Gaye live in 1981-82 and write 'Sexual Healing'?

He moved into promoter Freddy Cousaert's apartment, cut back on drugs, took up exercise and started attending a local church.

Marvin Gaye left Motown in 1982 and signed with which company?

He was assigned to the Columbia subsidiary, and the contract terms were kept secret to avoid affecting his settlement with the IRS.

How many consecutive weeks did 'Sexual Healing' spend at number one on the Hot Black Singles chart?

That set an R&B chart record that stood until Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' broke it in February 1993.

At which event on February 13, 1983, did Marvin Gaye give his slowed-down national anthem?

Guitarist Gordon Banks played the backing tape from the stands at The Forum in Inglewood, and the slow, soulful rendition is still regarded as one of the greatest ever.

Marvin Gaye was shot dead on April 1, 1984, the day before which birthday?

He was pronounced dead at 1:01 p.m. at California Hospital Medical Center; his father was later given a suspended sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

To what charge did Marvin Gay Sr. plead no contest after the original first-degree murder charge was reduced?

The reduction followed a diagnosis of a brain tumor; he received a six-year suspended sentence and five years of probation, and died in a nursing home in 1998.

Under which name did Marvin Gaye's group the Marquees record for Chess in 1959 after moving to Chicago?

Fuqua hired Gaye's quartet the Marquees and renamed them; the group also sang backing vocals on Chuck Berry's 'Back in the U.S.A.' and 'Almost Grown'.

Which U.S. military branch did 17-year-old Marvin Gaye join after dropping out of school in 1956?

He hated the menial labor, feigned mental illness and got a general discharge; his sergeant wrote that 'Airman Gay cannot adjust to regimentation nor authority'.

Which rock and roll pioneer co-wrote the Marquees' only single, 'Wyatt Earp'?

He tried to get the group signed to Chess, then sent them to OKeh instead; the single flopped and the group was dropped.

What instrument did Marvin Gaye play as a Motown session musician on 'Dancing in the Street' and 'Fingertips'?

He was paid about $5 a week for session work in 1961 and also toured as the Miracles' drummer that year.

What was Marvin Gaye's first solo hit, released in September 1962?

It reached No. 8 on the R&B chart, and he sang it in the raspy gospel tone he adopted for his early dance records.

Which Marvelettes hit did Marvin Gaye co-write and play drums on in 1962?

It was his first success as a songwriter, arriving the same year as his first solo hit.

Who wrote 'I'll Be Doggone' and 'Ain't That Peculiar', Marvin Gaye's first two R&B number ones?

Both 1965 singles sold a million copies each and reached the Billboard Hot 100 top ten.

With which singer did Marvin Gaye record the 1966 top-20 duet 'It Takes Two'?

It came during a chart lull when Gaye could not land a solo top-ten follow-up, and it revived his duet career.

Which duet earned Marvin Gaye his first Grammy nomination?

He was nominated for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental; the other three duets all reached the pop top ten.

At which ballpark did Marvin Gaye first sing the national anthem live, during Game 4 of the 1968 World Series?

The Detroit Tigers were playing the St. Louis Cardinals, fifteen years before his more famous anthem at the NBA All-Star Game.

For which 1972 blaxploitation film did Marvin Gaye produce the soundtrack and score?

The title track became his fifteenth Hot 100 top-ten hit, and the soundtrack was where he began leaning heavily on synthesizers.

Which Marvin Gaye single became his second Hot 100 number one, in September 1973?

Its parent album was later hailed as 'a record unparalleled in its sheer sensuality and carnal energy'.

Which Motown star was Marvin Gaye's partner on his final duet album, released in 1973?

Much of Diana & Marvin was written for them by Ashford and Simpson, and it sold internationally despite the pair's contrasting styles.

Marvin Gaye persuaded Frankie Beverly to rename his band from Raw Soul to what?

Gaye took the group on tour as his opening act after his sister-in-law drew his attention to them.

Which Marvin Gaye number one was a studio track on 1977's Live at the London Palladium?

The album sold over two million copies, and the song became one of the first to top the pop, R&B and dance charts.

Which 2013 hit was found by a jury to have copied Marvin Gaye's 'Got to Give It Up'?

Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams lost the March 2015 verdict; a judge later cut the sum to $5.3 million but added royalties.

Which Marvin Gaye album did Motown release without his consent in 1981, dropping the title's question mark?

He compared the unfinished album to an unfinished Picasso painting and vowed never to record for Motown again.

Which shelved Marvin Gaye album, the intended follow-up to What's Going On, was finally released in 2019?

Its title track stalled at No. 50 on the Hot 100 in 1972, which led Gaye to abandon the project.

How wide was Marvin Gaye's vocal range?

Writer Rob Bowman described three distinct voices he developed: a smooth tenor, a growling rasp and an 'unreal falsetto', all layered on the What's Going On single.

Which drum machine, later a hip-hop staple, did Marvin Gaye use on 1982's Midnight Love?

The synthesized electro-funk sound inspired many R&B and hip-hop artists to adopt the machine.

Which keyboard instrument did Marvin Gaye use at the end of 'Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)'?

By What's Going On he had largely swapped drums for keyboards and synthesizers as he took over producing his own records.

Which gospel singer was Marvin Gaye's earliest musical influence as a child?

He started singing in church at age four with his minister father accompanying him on piano.

Which Motown vocalists' grittier voices did Marvin Gaye credit for inspiring his 'tough man voice'?

He said he 'developed a growl' after listening to them, though he initially disliked the raspier style producer Norman Whitfield wanted.

Which Marvin Gaye composition topped the UK charts in July 1983 in a Paul Young cover?

Gaye co-wrote the original in 1962; his song 'Hitch Hike' separately influenced the Velvet Underground's 'There She Goes Again'.

In which year was Marvin Gaye inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

The Hall said he 'made a huge contribution to soul music in general and the Motown Sound in particular'; the NAACP Hall of Fame followed a year later.

Where did What's Going On rank in Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums?

It had been No. 6 on the earlier list and was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2003.

How many Marvin Gaye singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100?

He landed a charting single on both the Hot 100 and the R&B chart every single year from 1962 to 1974.

Which Wu-Tang Clan member is a cousin of Marvin Gaye?

Gaye's own family also included half-brothers on both his mother's and father's sides.

Marvin Gaye's second wife, Janis Hunter, was the daughter of which jazz musician?

They married in 1977 after a four-year courtship, separated in 1979 and were divorced in 1982; she was the mother of his children Nona and Frankie.

Which Motown star performed 'Lighting Up the Candles', written for the occasion, at Marvin Gaye's funeral?

He later placed the song as the final track on his 1991 Jungle Fever soundtrack; Gaye's ashes were scattered in the Pacific.

At which Los Angeles venue did the USPS dedicate a Marvin Gaye Forever stamp on what would have been his 80th birthday?

He had performed there during his lifetime; the ceremony took place on April 2, 2019.

How much was Marvin Gaye's 1971 Motown deal, then the richest ever for a Black artist?

It followed the success of What's Going On, which had topped Rolling Stone's year-end list as album of the year.

Which jazz standard was Gaye's first Tamla single in May 1961, credited to 'Marvin Gay'?

He initially pursued jazz standards rather than R&B, and added the 'e' to his surname shortly after the limited release.

Which NFL team did a depressed Marvin Gaye try to join after Tammi Terrell's death in 1970?

The team played along for publicity but declined a tryout over liability fears; two of its players later sang on 'What's Going On'.

What was Gaye's West Hollywood studio, apartment complex and nightclub building called?

He made many of his late Motown recordings there before it was foreclosed after his October 1978 bankruptcy filing.

Marvin Gaye's ashes were scattered where after his 1984 cremation?

Over 10,000 mourners paid respects at Forest Lawn in Glendale; his father's murder charge was reduced to manslaughter after a brain tumour diagnosis.

Who co-wrote 'Let's Get It On' with Marvin Gaye, after it was reworked from a religious ode?

Motown songwriter Kenneth Stover had rewritten Gaye's spiritual original; Townsend co-produced the first four album tracks.

Which explicit Let's Get It On track opens and closes with the sounds of a couple in bed?

The album peaked at number two on the Billboard chart and became the best-selling record of Gaye's Motown tenure.

For which Oscar-nominated role did Eddie Murphy copy Marvin Gaye's 1970s clothing style?

Barry White, Stevie Wonder and Frankie Beverly all cited Gaye as an influence.

Whose 1992 hit finally broke 'Sexual Healing's record of ten straight weeks atop the R&B chart?

'I Will Always Love You' ended a record that had stood since the chart's 1958 inception.

What chart first did Marvin Gaye achieve as a male artist with What's Going On?

All three also topped the R&B chart; the album was built as a song cycle with tracks segueing into each other, a first for Motown.

Under whose direction did the Marquees become the New Moonglows and move to Chicago?

Fuqua hired the group as employees; Gaye's early influences included the Moonglows and the Capris' 'God Only Knows'.

Who, at the singer's own urging, gave Gay Sr. the .38 Special that later killed his son?

Gaye feared being targeted on his final tour and wanted his father protected; months later the gun was turned on him.

Singing which Mario Lanza song at a school play aged 11 won Gaye encouragement to go professional?

He had started singing in church at four, with his minister father on piano, in a strict Pentecostal-influenced congregation called the House of God.

How much was Marvin Gaye reportedly earning per night at the peak of his mid-1970s touring?

A renewed Motown contract then let him build his own custom studio; I Want You followed in 1976 and sold over a million.