3.) Stevie Wonder
Wonder started his musical career at age 11 when Bonnie White of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles noticed his amazing musical talent and took him to motown to meet the founder of Motown Berry Gordy who immediately saw his musical potencial and signed him to motown in 1961. His first number one record was “Fingertips, Part 2″ in 1963.
Through out Wonders life he has won twenty-five grammy awards for: Best R&B Song, Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male), Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Producer of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal, Best Instrumental Arrangment Accompanying Vocals, and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.
He also recieved a Grammy Life Time Achievment Award in 1996. As well as eleven other awards and recognitions from the years 1983 to 2009. Wonder still records with Motown today.
Wonder’s voice has a very simple but beautiful sound to it. He is an amazing harmanica and piano player. His best performance was “Living for the City” which was a duet with Ray Charles. He’s not as revelutionary as Marvin Gaye or Michael Jackson but his music will last forever.
2.) Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye signed with Motown in 1961 at the age of twenty-two. During the 60’s he became Motowns top selling solo artist with a string of hits including “Heard it Through the Grapevine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High” Enough that was sung as a duet with Tammie Terrell who died in 1970 after eight unsuccessful opporations to remove a brain tumer she had been fighting for three years.
A year after he produced the album “What’s Going On” which helped him to become one of Motowns first solo artist; and giving him the titles “The Prince of Motown” and “The Prince of Soul”. He has won four American Music Awards in the catogories Favorite Soul/R&B Single, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Album twice.
Gaye has also won five Grammy Awards in the catagories Best R&B Instrumental Performance, Best R&B Song (Songwriter), Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male) twice, and The Grammy Lifetime Achievement in 1997.
He is ranked at number eighteen on the 100 Greatest Artist of All Time for the Rolling Stones magazine, he is ranked at number twenty on the vh1’s 100Greatest Artists list, and number six on the Rolling Stones Greatest Singers of All Time. Gaye was accepted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 after his dealth. He was the sounds of Motown from the 1960’s through the 1970’s.
On April first 1984, Gaye was shot twice by his father Marvin Gay Sr. when he intervened in an argument between him and his mother Alberta Gay.
Marvin Gaye has a exteremly distinct voice, no one had ever sounded like him then and no one sounds like he did today. He defined the Motown sound in the 60’s and the 70’s. His voice had a lot of tone range. He wasn’t as good of an performer as Michael Jackson, but he is a revelutionary character in the music world.
1.) Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson started his musical career in 1964 when he and his brothers (The Jackson Five) signed with Motown. The Jackson 5 were one of the biggest pop music acts of the 1970’s. After losing the oldest member of their group, Jermanie Jackson, and picking up the youngest boy of the family, RandyJackson, the changed their name to The Jacksons. The Jacksons/Jackson 5 sold 100 million records world wide making them one of the best selling artists of the time.
In 1971 he began his solo career. His album”Thiller” is the biggest seling album of all time. He has won twenty-six American Music Awards, thirteen Grammys, was in the Guinness World Records twenty-six times, won ninety-five RIAA awards, fourty-six Billboard awards, and a total of just under five-hundered awards through out his life.
He is number two on the vh1’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list, and the Rolling Stones Magazing calls him “The Best Entertainer of All Time”. On January 31st, 1993 Jackson performed at the halftime show for the Superbowl and his performance is considered the 2nd best halftime performances of all time.
On June 25th 2009 The King of Pop died in Los Angeles, due to an overdose of benzodiazepines-lorazepam and midazolan two anti-anxiety drugs. Conrad Murray is currently serving a four year sentence for involuntary manslaughter for supplying Jackson with the medicine. On the vh1’s list of Most Shocking Moments in Music Michael Jackson’s Dealth is number one.
Jackson not only has an amazing voice but he also has an unbeliveable natural dancing ability and unbeliveable work ethic. These things made his shows perfect. He worked so hard to be the best at what he did, and he was the best. Michael Jackson was an icon, and is a legend.