Marvin Gaye

April 2, 1939-1984

Today is Marvin Gaye's 70th birthday. Marvin Gaye has always been my favorite singer. Any tribute I could write would not do the man and artist justice. In 1970, I was 11-years-old. There was a small music store near my school that would play a HUGE part in my life for almost 35 years. Several times a week, I would stop by this store on the way home from school and buy records with my allowance. Every week, I would walk out with several records in a bag. But 1 day, this same 11-year-old kid, walked out with her 1st album. It was Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". I got home and was SO excited to rip off the plastic covering so I could play it on the stereo. I already knew "What's Going On", the single, from hearing it for weeks on the radio stations. But the album was quite something! Ground-breaking, unique, passionate, sad, and haunting. Just like Marvin. I was SO fortunate to see Marvin in concert, not once, but twice. The 1st time was when I was 14 and the 2nd time came a few months before he died. By that point in 1984, I was no longer a teenager; I was 24. Although 10 years had passed since that initial concert I attended, Marvin still had it! What an incredibly talented, spiritual, tortured, beautiful, and sexy man he was! Happy 70th, Marvin.