Grammy Museum Hosts Panel Event To Celebrate Marvin Gaye
The panel will feature Gaye’s second wife, Jan Gaye; Gaye’s biographer and co-writer of ‘Sexual Healing David Ritz’ and VP of A&R at UMe, Harry Weinger.
To commemorate what would have been Marvin Gaye’s 80th Birthday, the Grammy Museum is hosting a panel discussion about Gaye’s never-issued album You’re The Man on 2 April.
The panel will feature Gaye’s second wife, Jan Gaye; Gaye’s biographer and co-writer of ‘Sexual Healing David Ritz’ and VP of A&R at UMe, Harry Weinger, who produced the album’s new release.
‘An Evening With Marvin Gaye’s You’re The Man’ will delve into Gaye’s remarkable legacy as well as tracks from his planned but never-issued 1972 Tamla/Motown album and follow-up to What’s Going On.
Guests will be able to hear tracks from the album that’s set for release on 29 March, with a CD to follow on 26 April.
In 1972, Gaye will still riding high on the success of the singles ‘What’s Going On’, ‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’ and ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler”)’. He cut the single ‘You’re The Man’ that year but when the single failed to make the pop charts, Gaye seemingly went on hiatus and balked at moving to Motown’s new headquarters in Los Angles.
But this break did not last long, as Gaye struck out on his own and recorded more than an album’s worth of music in Detroit and LA alongside a dream team of songwriters and producers including Willie Hutch, Gloria Jones, Pam Sawyer, Hal Davis, Freddie Perren and Fonce Mizell. The result was an album full of raw ballads and explored themes of politics and activism as well as sexuality and eroticism.
The album even includes a sequel of sorts to ‘What’s Going On’ in the form of the poetic holiday ballad, ‘I Want To Come Home For Christmas’. With the exception of ‘You’re The Man’, none of the tracks Gaye cut were issued at that time.
Along with hearing this “lost” album, the panel will also dig into the origins and backstory of each track in what is sure to be one-of-a-kind event for fans of Gaye and Motown’s compelling legacy.
‘An Evening With Marvin Gaye’s You’re The Man’ will take place on Tuesday, 2 April at 7:30 pm in downtown Los Angeles.
Visit the official site for The Grammy Museum for ticket information.
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