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The 25 best musicians of the Rock & Roll era

Who took the top slots for the best artists in the Rock-and-Roll era? Check out the full list.

7. Marvin Gaye

Courtesy of Jim Britt/American Masters/PBS

  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

The R&B singer-songwriter released his first album, "The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye," in 1961, having worked as a session drummer before taking the lead on his own songs. Gaye is best known for songs such as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "What's Going On" and "Sexual Healing." He was Motown Records label's top-selling solo artist in its heyday during the 1960s.

With a three-octave range, Gaye is ranked No. 6 in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers. Here's what singer songwriter Alicia Keys wrote about him: "The first time I was really introduced to Marvin Gaye was the What's Going On album, and I fell in love. It was so moving to hear him talk so desperately about the state of the world, on top of all that brilliant musicality. One of my favorite things he did was to follow the strings with his voice, or double things that the instruments are doing. There's such a simple, subtle lushness to it that adds this whole other layer to the music."

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Mark Sappenfield
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