Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (the e was later added) was born in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 1939. They frequently disagreed since his father was a preacher for the obscure House of God.
He has two sisters, Jeanne and Zeola, and a brother named Frankie (Sweetie). Gaye started singing in his father’s church choir when he was three years old, and soon he was also playing the organ and the drums.
Gaye started performing with the street corner doo-wop band The Rainbows after returning to his native Washington, D.C.
Who backed up Marvin Gaye?
He founded his band, the Marquees, in 1957. They recorded “Wyatt Earp” for the Okeh label with Bo Diddley’s support. Harvey Fuqua hired the Marquees in 1958 to replace the Moonglows as his supporting band.
The band disbanded, but Fuqua and Marvin moved to Detroit to start Tri-Phi Records with his girlfriend Gwen Gordy.
He was vocally accompanied on “Stubborn Kind of Fellow,” “Hitch Hike,” and “Can I Get a Witness” by Marvin Gaye and the Vandellas.
