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Dyson examines the effect of Marvin Gaye's music on the socio-political climate of the sixties, seventies and eighties. Each decade of Gaye's music was a direct reflection of where he was at that point in his life. During the sixties, his music reflected his doo-wop roots and his ability to cross over to mainstream audiences. It was also the time of his duets with Tammi Terrell, who collapsed onstage in his arms and eventually died of a brain tumor. The seventies saw Gaye's music take a social and political turn with hits like "What's Going On," "Inner City Blues" while moving into the eighties with more personal and sexual songs like "You Sure Love to Ball" and "Sexual Healing." Dyson attempts to unravel the mysteries of Gaye's loves and passions for Anna Gordy and Janice Hunter, his two wives and his reputed romantic relationship with Tammi Terrell. He also reveals that Marvin Gaye fathered a son with his wife's 15 year old cousin. This book goes a long way to satisfy our need to understand the man who continues to influence contemporary musical artists and whose musical legacy can never be erased. Still, it leaves us wanting more. ---------------------------- Review written by Dorothy Ferebee for the Powerhouse Radio Newsletter, May, 2004. Dorothy is the author of the book "How To Create Your Own African American Library." Read her other reviews and visit her website at: http://www.booksforblacks.net 
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May, 2004 | Mercy, Mercy, Me: The Art Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye. Twenty years after Marvin Gaye's death by his father's hand, we are still talking about him and still inspired by his music. He is very much a part of our lives.