Smooth Facts About The Life Of Marvin Gaye
A pioneer of music in the 1960s, Marvin Gaye established himself as an icon of Motown Records. Appropriately, his musical abilities as a soul performer earned him the titles of the "Prince of Motown" as well as the "Prince of Soul." Coming from a rough upbringing, Gaye managed to grow to become not only one of the most prominent and successful singer-songwriters of his time but for generations to come. Take a look at the exciting, albeit tragic, life of Marvin Gaye, and what made him such a legendary music figure.
He Joined The Air Force
Beginning as a young boy, Gaye had an incredibly volatile relationship with his father. Gaye described living with his dad as "Living with a king, a very peculiar, changeable, cruel, and all-powerful king." Their relationship had not changed much by the time Gaye was 17, so he dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Air Force as a basic airman in 1956.
Discovering that most of his time was spent doing boring tasks, he faked an illness and was released under a General Discharge shortly after. However, his sergeant claims the reason he was discharged was his refusal to follow orders.
His Father Was A Sadist
To say that Gaye had a troubled relationship with his father is a massive understatement. Starting as a young boy, his father would regularly beat Gaye for no reason at all. According to Gaye, by the time he was 12, there wasn't a single part of his body that hadn't been beaten or bruised by his father.
Something his father took a sick pleasure in was belting his son. Supposedly, to strike fear into Gaye, he would have him strip naked and listen to the sound of the belt before he would beat him with it. This extreme abuse would stay with Gaye for the rest of his life.
His Love For Music Started At An Early Age
Gaye's talent for singing was discovered at an early age, and he began performing in various church choirs when he was just four years old. His mother was the one who encouraged him to sing, and it wasn't until junior high that he began taking it seriously, becoming a star at the Randall Jr. High Glee Club.
While attending Cardozo High School, Gaye was involved with a series of doo-wop vocal groups such as the Dippers and the D.C Tones.
He Attempted To Take His Own Life On Three Different Occasions
Throughout his life, Marvin Gaye suffered from severe depression and attempted to take his own life three different times. The first was in 1969 when he intended to shoot himself but was talked out of it by Berry Gordy's father.
The second was in Maui in 1979, when he ingested a large quantity of narcotics with the intention of overdosing. He stated that it would be "a slow but relatively pleasant death, certainly less messy." According to his sister, his final attempt was days before his death when he jumped in front of a car but only suffered minor bruises.
He Was Interested In Joining The NFL
When Gaye was taking a hiatus from music, he decided that he wanted to explore some of his other interests such as professional football. At the age of 31, he wanted to try out to be a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions.
He stated, "You see, I had this fantasy: I was in the Super Bowl, with millions of people watching me on TV all over the world, as I made a spectacular leaping catch and sprinted for the winning touchdown." However, Joe Schmidt, the Lions coach, didn't want Gaye to be hurt and denied him from trying out for the team.
He Was Legally Part Of The Motown Family
Unknown to most, Marvin Gaye's first wife, Anna Gordy, whom he married in 1963, is actually the eldest sister of Berry Gordy, a music legend and the founder of Motown Records. This marriage made Gaye an official member of the Motown family.
Unfortunately, Anna filed for divorce in 1973, and they were officially divorced in 1977. Their initial split-up and final divorce was the inspiration for his final studio album titled Here, My Dear.
There's Yet To Be A Biopic Made Of Him
Unsurprisingly, there have been numerous attempts to turn the events of Gaye's life into a feature film, however, none have been successful. Apparently, his estate is well known for safeguarding his legacy. Only two people have ever been given the blessing to actually make a biopic.
In 2016, Jamie Foxx succeeded in obtaining the rights for a limited series, yet nothing has come of it. More recently, in 2018, it was announced that Dr. Dre was given permission to make a feature-length film and had planned on producing it.
The Revolver He Gave To His Parents Was Used In His Death
Although Gaye had an incredibly troublesome relationship with his father throughout his life, one year for Christmas, he gave his parents a .39 caliber revolver for home protection. On April 1, 1984, Gaye and his father got in a physical altercation after Gaye tried to stop a fight between his parents.
Minutes later, his father later came into Gaye's room and shot him in the heart and then the shoulder at point-blank range, tragically causing his death. His father's charge was dropped to voluntary manslaughter after it was discovered he had a brain tumor. He was sentenced to a suspended six-year sentence and probation.
His Career Almost Ended With Tammi Terrell
Marvin Gaye performed some of his greatest duets with the extremely talented Tammi Terrell, most notably "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need To Get By," "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing," among others. During an October 1967 performance in Farmville, Virginia, Terrell collapsed into Gaye's arms.
She was rushed to the hospital where it was discovered that she has a malignant brain tumor, which put an end to her performing live. Even though she was still recording, Gaye was devastated and lost interest in music. When she passed away in March 1970, Gaye vowed he would never sing with another person or on stage again, which proved to be false.
He Spent Some Time As A Drummer
Very early on in his career, Gaye released his first single, "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide," in May 1961. His album The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye would follow a month later. However, his first records turned out to fail commercially.
So, for the majority of 1961, he worked as a studio drummer, working with artists such as The Miracles, The Marvelettes, as well as Jimmy Reed. During his time as a drummer, he was known for playing with his eyes closed and was told to keep them open as it looked like he was sleeping otherwise.
His Original Surname Is Gay
Before the release of his first single, Gaye changed his surname from Gay to Gaye. This was because he was teased about his last name with people joking about his sexuality. He added an "e" to the end, much like how Sam Cooke had done previously.
Author David Ritz added that besides silencing childish rumors about his sexuality, it was also a way that Gaye could distance himself from his father, no matter how minor it might have been.
He Acted In Films
Although it might have been a short-lived acting career, Gaye acted in two movies, both of which focused on Vietnam War veterans. The first was George McCowan's 1969 film, The Ballad of Andy Crocker, about a veteran who returns home only to feel betrayed by his country.
In the film, Gaye played the role of David Owens. He returned in front o the camera again in 1971 in the biker-exploitation film Chrome and Hot Leather, about a group of veterans who take on a biker gang with Gaye playing Jim, one of the veterans.
Popular Artists Were Accused Of Plagiarizing His Work
Although Gaye had been dead for decades, in 2015, his name resurfaced in the media when artists Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were accused of ripping off Gaye's song "You Got To Give It Up," and using it in their song "Blurred Lines."
The matter was taken to court, and it was ruled that Williams and Thicke had indeed stolen major components of Gaye's track. In return, Gaye's estate was awarded more than $7.4 million in damages. Of course, that wasn't the only issue with the song "Blurred Lines" either.
His Final Live Television Performance
In 1983, Marvin Gaye performed live at the opening of the 33rd National Basketball Association Hall of Fame. During his time in the limelight, he performed a variety of his popular songs, but his version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" Banner is considered to be once of the greatest performances ever televised during an NBA game.
Unfortunately, this would also prove to be his last appearance on live television as he died the following year.
He Started Wearing A Bullet-Proof Vest
Although Gaye had become sober during his time in Belgium, he returned to abusing drugs after embarking on the Sexual Healing tour in the United States. While using substances to control the pressures that he was experiencing, it also led him to develop a deep sense of paranoia.
He was convinced that there was someone out to assassinate him and about halfway through the tour began wearing a bullet-proof vest and employing armed guards while performing.
"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" Almost Didn't Happen
It took a whole five sessions for Gaye to record "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" to get it exactly how he wanted it. As it turns out, the hard work was worth it, and the song grew to become one of his all-time biggest hits.
While recording, he was persuaded to sing in a key which he wasn't used to. It's one of the things that makes it so great. However, his producer, Berry Gordy, wasn't impressed with the results and wanted to cut the song entirely. Luckily, that didn't happen.
He Took Some Much-Needed Time Off And Came Back Strong
In 1981, on top of his second marriage failing, Gaye was struggling with depression, addiction, debt, and was at odds with Motown Records. After completing an exhausting European tour, it was suggested that he take some time off in Belgium to get his life together.
During his stay there, he broke it off with Motown Records, got sober, and signed a new music deal with CBS Records. One of the first songs to come out of his new record deal was "Sexual Healing," which went on to win two Grammys and help put Gaye back on top.
He Moved In To Take Care Of His Mother
After he wrapped up the Sexual Healing tour in August 1983, he moved into his parents' house in order to take care of his mother. At the time, she was recovering from kidney surgery, so Gaye moved into the house that he had bought for his parents back in 1973.
Of course, this was a difficult transition because that meant he'd be living with his father once again. At one point, his father even called the police in order to get Gaye out of the house. However, Gaye would not leave. Apparently, he wanted to make amends with his father.
It Was Rumored That He Was Intimate With His Duet Partners
During the 1960s, it was rumored that Gaye secretly dated his female duet partners including Mary Wells and Kim Weston. This was because Gaye appeared to have great chemistry with each of them, so people figured it would only make sense that they were dating.
Wells denied that the couple was ever together, as well as Weston who claimed their relationship was platonic. The way Gaye handled Tammi Terrell's death also led people to believe that they were romantically involved.
What's Going On Was Almost Never Released
Unbelievably, Gaye's 1970 album, What's Going On? was almost never released. Supposedly, Motown Records wasn't very excited about it and felt that it didn't fit their style, even suggesting that the album be canceled.
According to Gaye, "Management said the songs were too long, too formless, and would get lost on a public looking for easy three-minute stories." Against their suggestions, Gaye had to push for the album to be released. Luckily, they let it, and What's Going On? is recognized as one of Gaye's most successful albums.
