# 5371 - 2019 First-Class Forever Stamp - Music Icons: Marvin Gaye

US #5371
2019 Marvin Gaye – Music Icons Series

• Commemorates influential soul singer Marvin Gaye

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Series:  Music Icons
Value: 55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  April 2, 2019
First Day City:  Los Angeles, California
Quantity Issued:  40,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Microprint
Format:  Panes of 16
Tagging:  Phosphor, Block Tagged

Why the stamp was issued:  To honor “Prince of Soul,” Marvin Gaye and his impact on the music industry.

About the stamp design:  Pictures a portrait of Gay by Kadir Nelson.

Special design details:  The stamp pane is designed to resemble a vintage 45-rpm record sleeve. It includes an excerpt about Gaye as well as another portrait of the musician on the reverse side along with the Music Icons Series logo.

First Day City:  The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The theater was said to have “held a special place in [Gaye’s] heart.”

About the Music Icons Series:  The Music Icons Series began in 2013 with the 46¢ Lydia Mendoza stamp (US #4786). The series pays tribute to performers representing a wide range of eras and musical genres. All the stamps and panes in the series are the same size, with the full panes designed to look like record sleeves. It’s a fun way to look back on these legends and think about everything they accomplished and the lasting impact they had on the music industry to this day.

History the stamp represents:  Marvin Gaye (1939-84) rose to popularity at a time when Motown artists did not sing about social and political issues. But Gaye asked, “With the world exploding around me, how am I supposed to keep singing love songs.” His determination to break out of the box transformed not just his own career, but soul music as a whole.

Gaye developed a love for singing when he was four years old. He had a four-octave vocal range (most people have a three-octave) and was a talented songwriter. Gaye had his first number one hit in 1967 with “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.”

In 1970, Gaye helped write “What’s Going On” in response to police brutality and the Vietnam War. Initially, it wasn’t released because his label felt it was too political. So Gaye went on strike until they agreed to release it – and it became a number one hit. The rest of the album, which touched on war, drug abuse, and the environment, was his first to sell a million copies and was credited with redefining soul music.

Gaye continued to evolve, blending soul, jazz, pop, and gospel in such hits as “Let’s Get It On” and “Sexual Healing.” He later earned two Grammys and induction into the Rock and Roll, Songwriters, and R&B Halls of Fame. For his role as a musical pioneer, Gaye has been dubbed the “Prince of Soul” and “Prince of Motown.”