Mr. Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. was born in Washington D.C. on April 2, 1939, to Alberta and Marvin Gay Sr. The e in his name wasn’t added until later in his life. I guess you can say he was destined to be an artist. Throughout his childhood he often found peace in his music, whether it was mastering the piano or the drums at a young age. You could tell a music career would be in his future being that he grew up singing in his father’s church and eventually joined this group called the Moonglows. Although singing in a church revival was still practicing music, his career didn’t start until he joined The New Moonglows in the late 1950s. The group consisted of Marvin Gaye, Harvey Fuqua, Bobby Lester, Prentiss Barnes, Pete Graves, and Billy Johnson. …show more content…
The Moonglows made songs like “Sincerely” “In My Diary” “We Go Together” and “Mama Loocie”. While in the group, Marvin Gaye’s talent intrigued the group’s leader, Fuqua. Through his phenomenal range that split into three vocal styles, he impressed Fuqua, and not long after that they both got the attention of Detroit music impresario Berry Gordy Jr. This led to them to getting signed at the legendary Motown records. Marvin Gaye had been signed to this label, yet he didn’t get his first certified hit under his name until 1962. Although he didn’t get recognition until 1962, he had many behind-the-scenes successes in his early Motown years. He originally was a sessions drummer for Motown’s legends. Eventually Gaye decided to show his talent as Motown’s renaissance man. Breaking out in the Top 40 for his first solo single “Hitch Hike” was the beginning of an amazing career. The 1960s consisted of Gaye displaying his immense range. He worked on solo dance hits and romantic duets with the wonderful hit-makers, Mary Wells and Diana