Marvin Gaye summary

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Marvin Gaye, orig. Marvin Pentz Gay, (born April 2, 1939, Washington, D.C., U.S.—died April 1, 1984, Los Angeles, Calif.), U.S. singer and songwriter. Son of a Pentecostal minister, he learned to sing in church. He signed a contract with Harvey Fuqua (b. 1924) in 1959 and followed him to Motown, where he played drums on early Smokey Robinson hits. His own hits (from 1962) climaxed in “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1967). He paired with female singers, including Tammi Terrell (1946–70), in songs by Nick Ashford (b. 1943) and Valerie Simpson (b. 1948). With What’s Goin’ On? (1971) his songs became more socially conscious. Troubled in his personal relationships and finances, he reemerged in 1982 with “Sexual Healing.” He was shot to death by his father in a quarrel.

Grammy Award Summary

Grammy Award, any of a series of awards presented annually in the United States by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS; commonly called the Recording Academy) or the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (LARAS; commonly called the Latin Recording Academy) to recognize

soul music Summary

Soul music, term adopted to describe African American popular music in the United States as it evolved from the 1950s to the ’60s and ’70s. Some view soul as merely a new term for rhythm and blues. In fact a new generation of artists profoundly reinterpreted the sounds of the rhythm-and-blues

music Summary

Music, art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression, usually according to cultural standards of rhythm, melody, and, in most Western music, harmony. Both the simple folk song and the complex electronic composition belong to the same activity,