walking upstream…
Marvin Gaye
sourcesWikipedia
Marvin Gaye spent the 1960s as one of Motown's smoothest hitmaking crooners before breaking from the label's assembly-line formula to make What's Going On, a seamless, socially conscious song-cycle that reimagined what a soul album could say and how it could sound. He originally dreamed of being a jazz-pop crooner in the Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra mold before Motown redirected him toward up-tempo soul, and that crooner's instinct for phrasing never left his voice. He remains one of soul music's most vocally influential and personally tragic figures.
the sound in question
1971
What's Going OnMarvin Gaye
walk the tributaries ↓
Nat King Cole1950s · Jazz / Pop
Gaye recorded an entire tribute album, A Tribute to the Great Nat King Cole, in 1965 after Cole's death, an explicit acknowledgment of Cole's smooth jazz-pop phrasing as a foundational model for his own crooning ambitions.
listen: upstream & heresource: uDiscoverMusic — A Tribute To The Great Nat King Cole ↗
1951
UnforgettableNat King Cole
1965
UnforgettableMarvin Gaye
listen forPlay Nat King Cole's original 'Unforgettable' next to Gaye's own 1965 recording of the same song — hear Gaye reaching directly for Cole's unhurried, warmly enunciated phrasing rather than his usual soul attack.
Sam Cooke1950s-60s · Soul / R&B / Gospel
Gaye modeled his early smooth, sensitive vocal delivery directly on Sam Cooke, reportedly adding the silent 'e' to his own surname as a quiet tribute — his dapper, bow-tied early TV appearances were frequently compared to Cooke's.
listen: upstream & here
1957
You Send MeSam Cooke
1962
Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)Marvin Gaye
listen forPlay Sam Cooke's 'You Send Me' next to Gaye's early single 'Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)' — the same effortless, honey-toned crooner delivery, a young singer visibly working in his hero's register.
Frank Sinatra1950s · Traditional pop / Vocal jazz
Gaye told biographer David Ritz that his dream 'was to become Frank Sinatra,' loving Sinatra's phrasing so much that he spent years chasing a pop-crooner career before Motown steered him toward soul instead.
listen: upstream & here
1964
Fly Me to the MoonFrank Sinatra
1968
ChainedMarvin Gaye
listen forPlay Sinatra's 'Fly Me to the Moon' next to Gaye's sophisticated, orchestral pop single 'Chained' — listen for Gaye reaching for that same easy, big-band-pop polish before his sound turned toward grittier soul.