20 Years Ago, Marv Gaye Took 'Natnal Anthem' To New Heights : NPR

Contents:

• MARV GAYE’S INIC NBA ALL-STAR GAME NATNAL ANTHEM: ‘HE TURNED THAT THG TO HIS OWN’
• 20 YEARS AGO, MARV GAYE TOOK 'NATNAL ANTHEM' TO NEW HEIGHTS
• THE PLAYERS’ ANTHEM: WHEN MARV GAYE SANG ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ AT THE 1983 ALL-STAR GAME
• FLASHBACK: MARV GAYE REIMAG ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ 1983
• MARV GAYE'S SOULFUL 'THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER' AT 1983 NBA ALL-STAR GAME IS NATNAL HEALG

MARV GAYE’S INIC NBA ALL-STAR GAME NATNAL ANTHEM: ‘HE TURNED THAT THG TO HIS OWN’

So much so, was nsired a big ask when then-Suns owner Jerry Colangelo went to CBS Sports print Bob Wsler 1975 requtg two mut at the top of the work’s upg broadst of the All-Star Game Phoenix so crooner Andy Williams uld sg “By The Time I Get to Phoenix” wh Henry Manci’s was to this vanilla void that stepped Marv Pentz Gay Jr., on Feb. Addg an E to his surname, Marv Gaye beme one of Motown’s biggt stars durg nearly two s wh the label, a mil leviathan whose semal 1971 album “What’s Gog On” was voted, almost 50 years later, as the greatt album of all time by Rollg Stone. But Gaye’s voice — stirrg, sultry and fiant all at once — had bee vox ’s reer was a paeon to survivg life’s tribulatns and perseverg.

Fans claimed all of , the angelic croong and the flawed the early ’80s, Gaye had aga fallen to prsn. The album featured the h “Sexual Healg, ” which got Gaye back to the top of the charts at age 43. Ten days after his performance at the All-Star game, Gaye won his first Grammy.

(Armando Gallo / Getty Imag)In ’83, Gaye was the send choice to sg the anthem at the All-Star game.

20 YEARS AGO, MARV GAYE TOOK 'NATNAL ANTHEM' TO NEW HEIGHTS

Instead, Rosen went to Plan B: Gaye. “(Gaye) end up sayg, ‘OK, I’ll e back tomorrow wh a shorter versn. ”Seemgly at the last mute, Gaye arrived, walkg down the center aisle of the Fom, drsed to the n, wh a ssette tape his hand.

It was the dm track that had been laid down Saturday by Gaye and his longtime llaborator, guarist Gordon Banks, at Gaye’s sister’s hoe L.

He, like so many his age, was a big fan of Gaye. He and Magic Johnson saw Gaye perform at the Palladium L.

THE PLAYERS’ ANTHEM: WHEN MARV GAYE SANG ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ AT THE 1983 ALL-STAR GAME

”Thomas said they went backstage to meet Gaye after the show. It was all he uld to keep his mouth om htg the years later, he was centerstage wh Gaye at the All-Star Game. But if Hoton’s adaptatn f neatly to the jgoistic narrative of a natn at war, Gaye’s versn spoke to a different kd of patrtism, one which Black Amerins were, still, wag for the untry to do what said was gog to do.

We all loved Marv Gaye. ”In a 1987 Showtime special about his life and reer — premierg three years after Gaye was shot and killed 1984 by his father, Marv Gay Sr., followg an argument at his parents’ Los Angel home — Gaye said, “I felt that sgg wh that kd of mic the background gave me an spiratn.

FLASHBACK: MARV GAYE REIMAG ‘THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER’ 1983

All-Star Game, they say, ‘That’s the Marv Gaye natnal anthem game, '” Thomas like the anthem were still sacrosanct.

Gaye had sung the anthem before sportg events many tim, but wh more of the tradnal October 1968, Gaye sang the anthem Detro before Game 4 of the World Seri between the Tigers and Cardals. When Gaye sang the anthem at the World Seri, he sang straight, at the requt of the Tigers’ legendary play-by-play man, Ernie Harwell, who was charge of pickg anthem sgers durg the Seri. ”Years later, Gaye knew the signifince of the urt where he stood, the magnu of the players led up behd him and the timacy of the the end of the first le — which Gaye shortened to “Say, n you see, ” omtg the openg “Oh” — the crowd began gaspg and squealg.

MARV GAYE'S SOULFUL 'THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER' AT 1983 NBA ALL-STAR GAME IS NATNAL HEALG

”Gaye started rampg up towards the end of the song, turng up the passn on his lounge vibe. ”Gaye bent the song to his will and tempo, gog fast on some sectns, slowg down others. ”When Gaye fished, Rosen said, “He walked right out of the buildg, and I never saw him aga.

Rosen thought he was gog to be fired, after O’Brien, as Rosen relled, “tore me a new (one)” when Gaye was fished.

Fortunately for Rosen, his immediate boss, the late Jerry Bs, the Lakers’ owner, loved Gaye’s rendn, so his job was time, what Bs regnized, what the players knew stantly, beme clearer to the mass. What happened that one night Inglewood beme the watershed moment Gaye’s performance not only legimized the A-list worths of the NBA All-Star Game and the league self, but opened the door for future artists to exprs the diversy of the U. 20 Years Ago, Marv Gaye Took 'Natnal Anthem' To New Heights.