by Sharon Davis

When Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his own father in 1984, the world lost one of its greatest singers. Although his fans were stunned, the singer's friends, knowing the violence that cocaine had created in Gaye, weren't surprised that the killer was found to have acted in self-defense. In intriguing detail, Sharon Davis charts Gaye's extraordinary, often turbulent career, including his tempestuous relationship with the record company Tamla Motown and its legendary head Berry Gordy. She follows Gaye's struggle for artistic independence and details his successes with singles like Can I Get a Witness? and I Heard It Through the Grapevine and the epoch-making album 'What's Going On? Sharon Davis is considered a leading authority on Motown history. She is the author of Motown: The History and Stevie Wonder: Rhythms of Wonder.