April 2 would have been the 70th birthday of soul legend Marvin Gaye. Sadly, April 1 is also the 25th anniversary of his death. All this in the year Motown turns 50.
Gaye gave Motown a social conscious with the song ‘What's Going On’ but he also gave the label its sensual edge with ‘Let’s Get It On’.Gaye was 44 years old when he was shot dead by his father on April 1, 1984.
To mark what would have been Marvin’s 70th, Motown will be issuing the special digital-only album ‘Marvin Gaye: Then & Now’ on March 31.
The album is a 14-track collection of rarities including the previously unreleased ‘Soulie’, a 1966 song that was recently discovered in the Motown vaults.
Motown will also release a vinyl-only edition of ‘United’, Gaye’s classic album with Tammi Terrell on April 14.
