January 19, 2024
Everybody knows Marvin Gaye’s iconic album What’s Going On?. But did you know that the Detroit Lions played a key role in getting Marvin Gaye, who says he had quit music, back into the studio to record that seminal record?
Here’s an excerpt from my story:
In the late 1960s, Motown star Marvin Gaye found himself “in a funk,” according to close friends. His brother Frankie, back from Vietnam, shared disheartening horror stories that took a toll. To add to the burden, his recording partner, Tammi Terrell, had recently died of brain cancer. Gaye hadn’t performed since.
“I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t stop crying,” Gaye told a biographer. “The notion of singing three-minute songs about the moon and June didn’t interest me.”
About the same time, a Lions defensive back named Lem Barney found himself with some time to kill one afternoon before practice. A huge music fan, he looked up Gaye’s address, drove over, and knocked on the door. The singer answered and, being a sports fan, recognized Barney immediately. He invited him in to breakfast.