BLACK HISTORY MONTH THROWBACK SPOTLIGHT: a SEXY Sunday with Marvin Gaye

We’re taking a moment today for Black History Month to honor the “Prince of Motown” and the singer of the sexiest song ever recorded – Marvin Gaye. Also known as the “Prince of Soul,” Gaye was born and raised in Washington D.C. Despite his rough upbringing, he still sang in the church choir and joined a doo-wop group in high school. He relocated to Detroit in 1960 and played as a session musician and, before he released his first single, added an “e” to the end of his name to distance himself from his abusive father.

Gaye’s most famous single can easily be traced back to the sensual sounds of Sexual Healing from his 1982 album Midnight Love. The opening is instantly recognizable and has been for decades; the song itself sat at the top of the Billboard Top 100 R&B Singles chart for ten weeks and earned Gaye two Grammy awards. It’s been covered by several artists since then including Sarah Connor, Soul Asylum, and, most recently, Kygo, which has introduced it to a whole new generation of music fans.

Luckily, there’s new Marvin Gaye music to be had – a recently uncovered instrumental album recorded in 1971 called Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals has been released for streaming. We at Throwback Nation salute you, Prince of Motown, and thanks for the sexual healing!