The Originals: Marvin Gaye

There was no grapevine needed, the greatness was easy for all to see and hear for themselves when it came to Marvin Gaye. As his songs said, the lyrics to many of them planted deeply in his fans' hearts, there is no mountain high enough to hide the legacy, and how sweet it was, and still is to hear him sing. Not to mention the sexual healing his music helped many people receive, to be sure. A true Original in every sense of the word, even when being true to himself caused him serious trouble.

Born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. in Washington, D.C. April 2, 1939, the first son and second eldest of the four children of the Reverend Marvin Gay, Sr. and Alberta Cooper, Marvin began playing instruments and singing in his father's church choir. He knew hard work early on, caddying at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland as a teenager, then, dropping out of Cardozo High School, joining the United States Air Force. The first signs of problems with authority began to show here: He was discharged for refusing to follow orders.

Back home, he began to follow the path his talents laid out for him. Beginning in 1957, he joined up with several doo-wop groups in the Washington area, finally landing firmly with the Marquees, a popular DC group. Along with legendary guitarist Bo Diddley, the group released a single, "Wyatt Earp," on Okeh Records in 1958. Marvin would meet someone that would help him on his way to becoming a iconic figure in the person of Harvey Fuqua.

Fuqua recruited the Marquees to become the Moonglows, and this group's first single, "Mama Loocie," in 1959 for Chess Records, was Marvin's first recorded lead, but the group was headed quickly for the dustbin of history, disbanding after a concert in Detroit. This is when Fuqua took the opportunity to introduce his young star to a very important person, and the next step on his road to success, Motown head Berry Gordy.