Today – April 2nd – would have been the legendary Marvin Gaye’s 74th birthday.

Marvin Gaye is responsible for some of the most important music of the 20th century; art that combined technical daring and inventiveness, with an intoxicating conceptual mixture of sensuality, spirituality, and politics.

His landmark album What’s Goin’ On still stands as the greatest soul album ever made, and later LPs like Let’s Get It On, I Want You, and Here, My Dear aren’t far behind.

From AllMusic:

One of the most gifted, visionary, and enduring talents ever launched into orbit by the Motown hit machine, Marvin Gaye blazed the trail for the continued evolution of popular black music. Moving from lean, powerful R&B to stylish, sophisticated soul to finally arrive at an intensely political and personal form of artistic self-expression, his work not only redefined soul music as a creative force but also expanded its impact as an agent for social change.

Read the full Marvin Gaye bio at AllMusic.com

 

Check out one of his many classics, “Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)” below:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1uelY2SGmw

Thoughts on the life and legacy of Marvin Gaye?

What’s your favorite Marvin song? album?

Sound off below!