Recommendations of the Editorial team
Motown is one of the greatest musical stories that have ever been told, and Marvin Gaye was one of her main characters. There had never been anything similar before: all the songwriters, singers and producers who worked together and developed. Half family, half business – and I very much doubt that there will ever be something like that.
When he started at Motown, he played drums with all my big hits with the Miracles. We became close friends and I often acted as a producer and wrote many songs for him: “Ain’t that peculiar” or “i’ll be doggone”. Which means that I spent a lot of time waiting for Marvin.
Marvin always came into the studio too late. But I knew: When he came, he will sing my song as I could never have imagined. I loved that. Marvin could sing everything, from gospel to coarse blues, from jazz to pop.
He really had everything: the voice, the soul and also the look. He had sex appeal. But he was much more than a big singer. He was a big recordmaker, a talented songwriter, a clever thinker. “What’s going on” is the most important musical statement I know.
I was not only his friend and brother, I’m also a big Marvin Gaye fan
The song does not old: “Brother, Brother, Brother/ There’s Far Too many of you dying” – that sounds even more touching today than it was then. I still know how to visit him at home back then and he worked on the record. He said: “Smoke, this album writes God – I’m just the instrument.”
I was not only his friend and brother, I’m also a big Marvin Gaye fan. When he was still alive, all men’s voices were his favorite. I said earlier that I was working with Marvin: waiting for him. But Marvin Gaye was always worth waiting. Somehow I’m still waiting for Marvin.