*Includes pictures
*Includes Gaye's quotes about his life and career
*Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading
"Great artists suffer for the people." - Marvin Gaye
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
Among the many stars gathered by Berry Gordy's Motown Records during the latter half of the 20th century, one of the most famous and successful was Marvin Gaye, even though the rigidity of the studio's operating procedures constantly collided with his capacity for stubbornness and insistence that he be given the independence to pursue his own artistic vision. Of course, it's easy to see it from both sides; despite the ceaseless thread of masterpieces emerging from Motown studio artists (many of them performed and recorded by Gaye), it might also be said in his defense that as part of the record company's mission statement, Motown operated in a state of near artistic lockdown where creative input by the artist was concerned.
Unapologetically hit-driven, Motown measured success almost solely by chart rankings and units sold, and it naturally avoided any alteration of old formulas that produced results, all of which made Motown the epitome of an efficiently-run music entertainment provider. As Marvin Gaye learned, however, it was not the place in which to nourish his thirst for creative freedom and innovation. To further serve the Motown founder's vision, even the associated "charm school" of Maxine Powell was designed to train the singers to carry themselves well in any public situation, in accordance with the Motown mission. Gaye considered such a confining regimen to be worse than useless, and he showed no hesitation in saying so. He once complained, "I am not going to be dictated to by fans, certainly. I am dictated enough to by my record company to last me a million years."
In the construct of Berry Gordy's vision, only the most successful Motown artists could protest or plead for creative expansion, and concessions were far from guaranteed. Motown made the careers of many famous artists, and they subsequently became household names across America, but it very often served as a studio from which many would move on and branch out once their credentials were established. In dealing with the rare artist and personality of Marvin Gaye, however, Motown met the one individual who could resist and even reshape the studio's model without leaving, at least until very late in his career.
That said, while What's Going On bucked the trend so far as Motown was concerned, it can also be said that Gaye himself shaped Motown's signature sound with hits like "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Of course, Gaye also influenced the music industry as a whole, particularly the R&B genre. Midnight Love and the hit song "Sexual Healing" are classics that remain instantly recognizable today, and the sound can certainly be heard in the works of subsequent artists.
Gaye's recording career was full of turbulence, and so was his personal life, a point tragically driven home by the fact that he was shot and killed by his own father the day before his 45th birthday. Before his untimely death, Gaye battled all kinds of demons, including drug abuse and depression, and he had stormy relationships with many of the most important figures in his life. If anything, the chaos surrounding him makes his incredible musical career all the more amazing.
American Legends: The Life of Marvin Gaye looks at the life and career of one of America's most famous musicians.
