Author Description

When Marvin Gaye was shot dead in 1984 by his own father, the world lost one of its greatest singers. Born into a Washington ghetto, the son of a pentecostal minister, Marvin Gaye rose to become one the most original musical talents of his generation. This intensively researched biography charts his extraordinary life, turbulent career and tragic death. It details his beginnings as session drummer for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, his struggle for artistic independence, and his stormy relationship with Tamla Motown Records and Berry Gordy, its legendary head whose sister he married. It also tells of the resounding success his records had, and the lasting contribution he made to black music.