Music
Marvin Gaye
1939–1984 · singer, songwriter, producer
Motown's “Prince of Soul,” who lived in Detroit through the 1960s and recorded What's Going On at Hitsville U.S.A. in 1970–71.
- Born
Washington, D.C.- Died
Los Angeles, California
aged 44- Birth name
- Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.
- Also known as
- Prince of Motown · Prince of Soul
- Detroit years
- 1960–1972
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Marvin Gaye came to Detroit around 1960 with his mentor Harvey Fuqua and first worked as a session drummer for Fuqua's Tri-Phi label. Fuqua soon passed him to Berry Gordy's Tamla imprint, and by 1962 Gaye had his first hits, followed by “How Sweet It Is,” “Ain't That Peculiar” and his duets with Tammi Terrell. In 1963 he married Anna Gordy, Berry's sister and a Motown co-founder. He sang the national anthem at Tiger Stadium in Game 4 of the 1968 World Series and later tried to win a place with the Detroit Lions, befriending players Mel Farr and Lem Barney. From 1967 to 1972 he lived in a house near Outer Drive that had belonged to Gordy. In June 1970 he returned to Hitsville to cut “What's Going On,” then won creative control and recorded the album in ten days. He left Detroit for California in the early 1970s.
Highlights
- What's Going On (1971), recorded at Hitsville, is a landmark concept album
- “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968) was Motown's biggest hit to that date
- Sang the anthem at Tiger Stadium, 1968 World Series Game 4
- 1971 Motown contract worth $1 million, a record for a Black artist at the time
- Two Grammys for “Sexual Healing” (1982)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 3
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Recorded here · 1961–1972
Motown Museum
Motown's Studio A, where he cut his 1960s hits and, in 1970–71, the What's Going On album. Now the Motown Museum.
Performed here · 1968
Tiger Stadium (site)
Demolished · 1912–1999
He sang the national anthem here before Game 4 of the 1968 World Series. The stadium was demolished in 2008–2009; the field is now The Corner Ballpark.
Lived here · 1967–1972
Former Gaye home near Outer Drive
Status being checked
A northwest-side house near Outer Drive, previously owned by Berry Gordy, where he lived while making What's Going On. Private residence.