Editing Marvin Gaye (section)

==Musicianship==
===Equipment===
Starting off his musicianship as a drummer doing session work during his tenure with Harvey Fuqua, and his early Motown years, Gaye's musicianship evolved to include piano, keyboards, synthesizers, and organ. Gaye also used percussion instruments, such as [[bell]]s, [[finger cymbals]], [[box drum]]s, [[glockenspiel]]s, [[vibraphone]]s, [[bongos]], [[congas]], and [[cabasa]]s. This became evident when he was given creative control in his later years with Motown, to produce his own albums. In addition to his talent as a drummer, Gaye also embraced the [[TR-808]], a [[drum machine]] that became prominent in the early '80s, making use of its sounds for production of his ''[[Midnight Love]]'' album. The piano was his primary instrument when performing on stage, with occasional drumming.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/10/the-man-was-a-genius-tales-from-making-marvin-gayes-final-album/263028/|title='The Man Was a Genius': Tales From Making Marvin Gaye's Final Album|first=Chris|last=Williams|date=October 1, 2012|website=The Atlantic|access-date=March 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401081735/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/10/the-man-was-a-genius-tales-from-making-marvin-gayes-final-album/263028/|archive-date=April 1, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Influences===
As a child, Gaye's main influence was his minister father, something he later acknowledged to biographer [[David Ritz]], and also in interviews, often mentioning that his father's sermons greatly impressed him. His first major musical influences were [[doo-wop]] groups such as [[The Moonglows]] and [[The Capris (Philadelphia group)|The Capris]]. Gaye's [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]] page lists the Capris' song, "[[God Only Knows (1954 song)|God Only Knows]]" as "critical to his musical awakening".<ref name="Marvin Gaye Biography">{{cite web |url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/marvin-gaye/bio/ |title=Marvin Gaye Biography |work=The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum |access-date=July 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713180002/http://rockhall.com/inductees/marvin-gaye/bio/ |archive-date=July 13, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Of the Capris' song, Gaye said, "It fell from the heavens and hit me between the eyes. So much soul, so much hurt. I related to the story, to the way that no one except the Lord really can read the heart of lonely kids in love."{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=27}} Gaye's main musical influences were Rudy West of [[The Five Keys]], [[Clyde McPhatter]], [[Ray Charles]] and [[Little Willie John]].{{sfnm|Bowman|2006|1p=5|Ritz|1991|2p=29}} Gaye considered [[Frank Sinatra]] a major influence in what he wanted to be.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=29}} He also was influenced by the vocal styles of [[Billy Eckstine]] and [[Nat King Cole]].{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=30}}

As his Motown career developed, Gaye took inspiration from fellow label mates such as [[David Ruffin]] of [[The Temptations]] and [[Levi Stubbs]] of the [[Four Tops]], whose grittier voices led to Gaye and his producer seeking a similar sound in recordings such as "[[I Heard It Through the Grapevine]]" and "[[That's the Way Love Is (The Isley Brothers song)|That's the Way Love Is]]". Later in his life, Gaye reflected on the influence of Ruffin and Stubbs, stating: "I had heard something in their voices something my own voice lacked."{{sfnm|Bowman|2006|1p=14|Ritz|1991|2p=100}} He further explained, "the [[The Temptations|Tempts]] and [[Four Tops|Tops]]' music made me remember that when a lot of women listen to music, they want to feel the power of a real man."{{sfnm|Bowman|2006|1p=14|Ritz|1991|2p=100}}

===Vocal style===
Gaye had a four-octave [[vocal range]].{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=82}} From his earlier recordings as member of the Marquees and Harvey and the New Moonglows, and in his first several recordings with Motown, Gaye recorded mainly in the [[baritone]] and [[tenor]] ranges. He changed his tone to a rasp for his gospel-inspired early hits such as "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and "Hitch Hike". As writer [[Eddie Holland]] explained, "He was the only singer I have ever heard known to take a song of that nature, that was so far removed from his natural voice where he liked singing, and do whatever it took to sell that song."{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=8}}

In songs such as "Pride and Joy", Gaye used three different vocal ranges—singing in his baritone range at the beginning, bringing a lighter tenor in the verses before reaching a gospel mode in the chorus. Holland further stated of Gaye's voice that it was "one of the sweetest and prettiest voices you ever wanted to hear".{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=9}} And while he noted that ballads and jazz was "his basic soul", he stated Gaye "had the ability to take a roughhouse, rock and roll, blues, R&B, any kind of song and make it his own", later saying that Gaye was the most versatile vocalist he had ever worked with.{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=9}}

Gaye changed his vocal style in the late 1960s, when he was advised to use a sharper, raspy voice—especially in Norman Whitfield's recordings. Gaye initially disliked the new style, considering it out of his range, but said he was "into being produce-able".{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=14}} After listening to David Ruffin and Levi Stubbs, Gaye said he started to develop what he called his "tough man voice"—saying, "I developed a growl."{{sfnm|Bowman|2006|1p=14|Ritz|1991|2p=100}} In the liner notes of his DVD set, ''Marvin Gaye: The Real Thing in Performance 1964–1981'', Rob Bowman said that by the early 1970s, Gaye had developed "three distinct voices: his smooth, sweet tenor; a growling rasp; and an unreal [[falsetto]]."{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=15}} Bowman further wrote that the recording of the ''What's Going On'' single was "...{{nbsp}}the first single to use all three as Marvin developed a radical approach to constructing his recordings by layering a series of contrapuntal background vocal lines on different tracks, each one conceived and sung in isolation by Marvin himself."{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=15}} Bowman found that Gaye's multi-tracking of his tenor voice and other vocal styles "summon[ed] up what might be termed the ancient art of weaving".{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=15}}

===Social commentary and concept albums===
Prior to recording the ''[[What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)|What's Going On]]'' album, Gaye recorded a cover of the song, "[[Abraham, Martin & John]]", which became a UK hit in 1970. Despite some political music and socially conscious material recorded by [[The Temptations]], Motown artists were often told to not delve into political and social commentary, for fear of alienating pop audiences. Early in his career, Gaye was affected by social events including the 1965 [[Watts riots]] and once asked himself: "with the world exploding around me, how am I supposed to keep singing love songs?"{{sfn|Lynskey|2011|p=156}} When Gaye called Gordy in the Bahamas about wanting to do [[protest music]], Gordy told him: "Marvin, don't be ridiculous. That's taking things too far."{{sfn|Lynskey|2011|p=157}}

Gaye was inspired by the [[Black Panther Party]] and supported the efforts they put forth such as giving free meals to poor families door to door. However, he did not support the violent tactics the Panthers used to fight oppression, as Gaye's messages in many of his political songs were [[nonviolent]]. The lyrics and music of ''What's Going On'' discuss and illustrate issues during the 1960s/1970s such as racism, police brutality, drug abuse, environmental issues, anti-war, and black power issues.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Party Music : The Inside Story of the Black Panthers' Band and How Black Power Transformed Soul Music|last = Vincet|first = Rickey|publisher = Lawrence Hill Books|year = 2013|pages = 288–289}}</ref> Gaye was inspired to make this album because of events such as the [[Vietnam War]], the [[1967 Detroit riot|1967 race riots in Detroit]], and the [[Kent State shootings]], as well as the assassinations of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] and [[Robert F. Kennedy]].<ref name="Charnock-2015">{{Cite journal|url=http://www.united-academics.org/journal/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Biography_Marvin-Gaye_Ruth-Charnock.pdf |title='Things ain't what they used to be': Marvin Gaye and the making of What's Going On |last=Charnock |first=Ruth |year=2015 |journal=United Academics Journal of Social Sciences |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120111436/http://www.united-academics.org/journal/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Biography_Marvin-Gaye_Ruth-Charnock.pdf |archive-date=November 20, 2015 }}</ref>

Once Gaye presented Gordy with the ''What's Going On'' album, Gordy feared Gaye was risking the ruination of his image as a sex symbol.{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=16}} Following the album's success, Gaye tried a follow-up album, ''[[You're the Man (album)|You're the Man]]''. The [[You're the Man|title track]] only produced modest success, however, and Gaye and Motown shelved the album. Several of Gaye's unreleased songs of social commentary, including "[[The World Is Rated X]]", would be issued on posthumous compilation albums. ''What's Going On'' would later be described by an [[AllMusic]] writer as an album that "not only redefined soul music as a creative force but also expanded its impact as an agent for social change".<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4344/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Allmusic (Marvin Gaye – Overview)|access-date=January 9, 2009}}</ref> ''You're the Man'' was finally released on March 29, 2019, through [[Motown]], [[Universal Music Enterprises]], and [[Universal Music Group]].<ref name="CoS">{{cite web|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/02/marvin-gaye-youre-the-man-official-release/|title=Marvin Gaye's lost 1972 album You're the Man to receive official release|work=[[Consequence of Sound]]|last=Roffman|first=Michael|date=February 8, 2019|access-date=February 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124247/https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/02/marvin-gaye-youre-the-man-official-release/|archive-date=February 9, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''What's Going On'' album also provided another first in both Motown and R&B music: Gaye and his engineers had composed the album in a [[song cycle]], segueing previous songs into other songs giving the album a more cohesive feel as opposed to R&B albums that traditionally included [[filler (music)|filler tracks]] to complete the album. This style of music would influence recordings by artists such as [[Stevie Wonder]] and [[Barry White]] making the concept album format a part of 1970s R&B music. Concept albums are usually based on either one theme or a series of themes in connection to the original thesis of the album's concept. ''Let's Get It On'' repeated the suite-form arrangement of ''What's Going On'', as would Gaye's later albums such as ''I Want You'', ''Here, My Dear'' and ''In Our Lifetime''.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Although Gaye was not politically active outside of his music, he became a public figure for social change and inspired/educated many people through his work.<ref name="Charnock-2015" />