Gaye, Marvin (02 April 1939–01 April 1984), singer and songwriter, was born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., in Washington, D.C., the son of Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr., a Pentecostal minister, and Alberta (maiden name unknown), a domestic worker. The junior Gaye grew up in Washington, where he began his musical career by singing and playing organ in the choir at his father’s church. At Cardoza High School in Washington, Gaye played piano in a doo-wop group called the D.C. Tones. He dropped out after eleventh grade and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. After a year of openly rebelling against his commanding officers and feigning mental illness, Gaye was discharged in 1957 for inability to serve....
