The son of a minister, Gaye was raised on church music and first made his mark
singing backing vocals on records by Chuck Berry and Etta James. He also worked
as a session drummer, playing on the Number 1 hits Please Mr Postman
(Marvelettes) and Fingertips Pt 2 (Stevie Wonder), signing to Motown as a solo
act in 1961. Initially covering standards, he had hit first hit with the
self-written Stubborn Kind Of Fellow in 1962, going on to form successful duo
acts with Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. The death of Tammi Terrell from a brain
tumour in 1970 forced him to re-evaluate his car...