Marvin Gaye (1939–1984) was the Washington, D.C.-born soul singer who took Motown's Tamla imprint from hit factory to art form. What's Going On (1971) is one of the most important albums ever made; Let's Get It On and Here, My Dear show how far he kept pushing. Find Marvin Gaye vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. was born in Washington, D.C. on April 2, 1939 (he added the silent 'e' to his stage name to avoid the homophobic slur association and to honor his hero Sam Cooke, who had similarly modified his surname). He signed with Tamla Records (a Motown subsidiary) in 1961 and became one of Motown's most commercially successful artists across the 1960s with extensive crossover singles. His 1971 album What's Going On - a conceptual album addressing Vietnam War protest, environmental concerns, urban decay, and broader social justice - broke from the Motown formula and is widely cited as one of the most important albums in popular music history. Let's Get It On (1973) and I Want You (1976) followed with more romantic and sensual material. Here, My Dear (1978) was a autobiographical album addressing his divorce from Anna Gordy Gaye (Berry Gordy's sister). His 1982 comeback album Midnight Love (with the international hit Sexual Healing) won him his first Grammy Award after multiple previous nominations. He was shot and killed by his father Marvin Gay Sr. on April 1, 1984, one day before his 45th birthday, during a domestic altercation. His foundational influence on soul, R&B, and broader popular music is widely cited as one of the most important contributions to the form.
Marvin Gaye's sound combines soul, R&B, Motown soul, funk, quiet storm, smooth soul, and gospel with his distinctive multi-octave vocal delivery (layering multiple vocal tracks himself), arrangements drawing on classic Motown traditions alongside his progressive expansion into conceptual and socially-engaged albums. His foundational influence on soul, R&B, and broader popular music is widely documented.
Original Tamla and Columbia pressings of the Marvin Gaye catalog are foundational items in soul collecting. Multiple anniversary editions, audiophile reissues (Mobile Fidelity, Acoustic Sounds), and the comprehensive Motown/Universal reissue programs have been released.
Listeners new to Marvin Gaye typically start with What's Going On (1971) or Let's Get It On (1973).
