The "Prince of Soul" - Marvin Gaye

By Shawna S. Ruppert

Marvin Gaye trivia should begin with the fact that like many performers he always performed under a stage name, although his was quite close to his original name of Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. A Marvin Gaye quiz might ask you about some of his nicknames, which were extremely praising of the singer who is considered among the best soul singers of all time. Called "The Prince of Soul" and "The Prince of Motown", it was clear what both his peers and his public thought of him.

People might be aware of his most famous hits, such as songs like, "How Sweet It Is", "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", and "Let's Get It On", but people should also know that in addition to leaving a legacy of great music, he also left a legacy in the way that music and hits were made, something that is an important part of Marvin Gaye trivia.

The largest part of this has to do with how he worked with Motown Records, a company who was notorious for separating the artists from the songwriting and the producing processes at times. Gaye wanted more creative control and broke away from the lack of it which was emphasized at Motown. This move would inspire future generations of important artists to do the same. When one realizes that without Gaye's moves within the world of music that it might have been impossible for Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson to make the music they wanted to, in the way they wanted to, it becomes clear just how deep his influences ran even beyond his music itself.

A Marvin Gaye quiz might also bring up points about the themes of Gaye's music. In addition to singing with a political awareness that was uncommon for his style of music of the time, he would become a pioneer for creating albums that were created around erotic and sensual themes judged by many to be taboo. Entire generations of later artists including greats like Prince and Janet Jackson have clearly been inspired and allowed to make their music because of the boundaries broken by Marvin Gaye.

Marvin Gaye died in 1984 when he was shot and killed during an argument with his father. He was living with his parents at the time and tried to break up an argument that had erupted between his mother and father, when his father shot him with a gun that had been a gift from his son several months earlier.

Masters of Trivia is a website dedicated to trivia games and quizzes that cover several different areas of interest. The various trivia questions available on the site can be easily accessed and played by going to http://www.mastersoftrivia.com.

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