By STUBASS (64.12.97.7) on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 03:00 pm:

SINCE WE HAVN'T HAD A THREAD ON ONE OF HISTORY'S GREATEST SOUL SINGERS...MARVIN GAYE, I THOUGHT I'D SHARE THIS LITTLE STORY FOR ALL YOU MARVIN FANS. I USED TO SEE MARVIN FREQUENTLY AROUND SMOKEY ROBINSONS HOUSE, USUALLY WITH GOLF CLUBS IN TOW, AS HE, SMOKEY, DUKE OF THE TOPS, AND OTHERS WOULD BE HEADING OVER TO PALMER PARK FOR A ROUND OF GOLF. HE WAS ALWAYS A GREAT GUY WITH TONS OF CLASS. ONE DAY, HE CAME RIDING UP TO SMOKEYS HOUSE ON A LITTLE HONDA 50 MOTORBIKE...THE KIND MADE FAMOUS BY BRIAN WILSON OF THE BEACH BOYS..." NOT A BIG MOTORCYCLE...JUST A GROOVY LITTLE MOTOR-BIKE ". MARVIN LOVED THAT BIKE, AND YOU'D FREQUENTLY SEE HIM RIDING DOWN WEST OUTER DRIVE...NO HELMET...JUST GROOVIN ALONG WITH A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE. A FEW YEARS LATER, I RAN INTO FORMER DETROIT TIGER GREAT WILLIE HORTON, WHO LIVED A BLOCK AWAY FROM MARVIN...THEIR BACKYARDS FACING EACH OTHER. WE GOT TO TALKING ABOUT MARVINS MOTOR BIKE, AND WILLIE STARTED LAUGHING, TELLING ME HOW THAT WHEN HE FIRST GOT THE BIKE, MARVIN WOULD SPEND DAY AND NIGHT RIDING UP AND DOWN THE ALLEY LEARNING TO RIDE IT. FINALLY, WILLIE SAID THAT HE HAD TO GO OVER TO MARVINS HOUSE AND ASK HIM TO CUT OUT ALL THE NOISE, AND "QUIT TEARIN UP THE ALLEY". THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HTIS STORY IS THAT FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO, I WAS MANAGING AN AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP IN L.A...AND NOTICED A CUSTOMERS INFO SHEET WITH THE NAME MARVIN GAYE III. I IMMEDIATLY WENT OUT AND INTRODUCED MYSELF, AND BEGAN TELLING HIM HOW MUCH I ADMIRED HIS DAD, AND THAT I HAD KNOWN HIM MANY, MANY YEARS EARLIER. I ASKED MARVIN III WHAT HE WAS CURRENTLY DOING, AND WE DISCUSSED THAT FOR A WHILE. THEN, OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE, MARVINS SON MENTIONED TO ME THAT HE WAS THE NUMBER ONE RATED AFRICAN-AMERICAN MOTO-CROSS RACER IN CALIFORNIA. I WENT ON TO TELL HIM THE MO-PED STORY THAT I HAVE JUST SHARED WITH YOU All. HE HAD NO IDEA OF HIS FATHERS INTEREST IN MOTORBIKES, AND WE WERE BOTH JUST "FLOORED"., AS HE LISTENED WITH GREAT INTEREST. THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THAT STORY WITH MARVIN III JUST MADE MY DAY...AND I HOPE HIS AS WELL. STUBASS

By Lynn Bruce (64.53.143.164) on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 03:29 pm:

Great story,I'll bet you made Marvin,s day more than you can imagine!!
Slainte Va,Lynn

By StingBeeLee (155.139.68.10) on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 04:04 pm:

Stubass, what a good story! I grew up on Monica, about a block away from Marvin's house on Monica and Outer Drive. There was a little Standard Gas Station on Livernois and Outer Drive, this gas station was on my paper route delivering the Detroit News. The two guys that worked there told me that Ms. Anna Gaye wanted me to drop off a copy of the paper at the gas station for her, which I did. Finally one day she pulls up to the gas station in a white Rolls-Royce wearing a white fur something (I was nine at the time so I didn't know what it was) and she talked to me about how wonderful a paper carrier I was. For Christmas, she gave me a twenty dollar tip!!! I was in heaven!!! Marvin used to practice throwing the football on the grass median that ran on Outer Drive, but I was too afraid to play catch with him, as I thought one errant throw and I would be hit by a car. P.S. - Help!! I purchased the Marvin-Tammi complete duets and remember some months ago on the forum they had mentioned some "bookends" on the CD. Can someone please tell me about the bookends and how to access them on the CD? Thanks!

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 04:25 pm:

STING BEE; THE HOUSE ON MONICA AND W. OUTER DRIVE WAS B.G.'S FORMER HOUSE WHICH MARVIN AND ANNA BOUGHT WHEN BERRY AQUIRED THE "GORDY MANSION". THE STORY THAT I AM TELLING WAS EALIER THAN THAT, WHEN MARVIN LIVED ON APPOLINE ST. AND WILLIE HORTON LIVED ON STEELE. I DO REMEMBER THE GAS STATION, AND GRINNELLS MUSIC STORE ACROSS THE STREET ON LIVERNOIS. THANKS FOR THAT STORY...STU

By Larry (216.23.183.2) on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 05:09 pm:

Stu,
Great story about my boyhood hero's Willie Horton and Marvelous Marvin. For you to bring it full circle with Marvin's boy is just great man.
Beautiful stuff Stu.

I still have fond memories feeding the ducks at Palmer Park and checkin' out the spiral staircase in the Mansion. Those were the days....

By Nish (216.148.244.38) on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 05:10 pm:

Stubass and Stingbeelee, your stories are fun to read! When you get a notion to share more with us, you certainly have an audience!

By Vickie (64.236.243.31) on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 05:30 pm:

Great Story!
I love hearing the little known facts and stories that help bring these great legends to life..it's the little details that make a big difference.I have to agree with Nish - KEEP THEM COMING!

Vickie

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Monday, October 21, 2002 - 05:58 pm:

HEY ALL; THANKS FOR SHARING MY STORIES. I HAVE A LOT MORE, BUT ONE FUNNY ONE COMES TO MIND. I WON'T POST IT RIGHT NOW, BUT IT PERTAINS TO MARVINS "PROFESSIONAL" FOOTBALL CAREER WITH THE DETROIT LIONS. IF SOMEONE OUT THERE CAN CONTACT MEL FARR, LEM BARNEY, DAVE BING, OR ANY OF THE "GUYS", I'M SURE THAT THEY CAN TELL IT WITH MORE ACCURACY THAN ME. BUT IF NOT, I'LL DO MY BEST AT A LATER TIME...STU

By StingBeeLee (209.104.137.145) on Tuesday, October 22, 2002 - 12:34 am:

Stu;
Thanks for the update, as I did not remember Willie Horton being in the immediate neighborhood. I remember days of going in Grinnels and looking at the organs and pianos and looking at the Motown sheet music they had there. Also I would go to Monroe Music shop on Livernois for my record purchases. One thing about Marvin Gaye and Holloween. On Holloween, the kids from Pasteur Elementary school would run to his house after school dismissed. Instead of candy, his housekeeper would hand out Marvin's albums and dollar bills. But I was always too slow, and never received the albums or dollars.

By STUBASS (206.135.204.2) on Sunday, October 27, 2002 - 02:08 pm:

OK MARVIN FANS...ABOUT MARVIN'S "PROFESSIONAL" FOOTBALL CAREER, AS PROMISED. DURING THE MID TO LATE 60"S, MARVIN FANCIED HIMSELF AS SOME SORT OF GREAT ATHELETE. MANY OF HIS FRIENDS PLAYED PROFESSIONAL SPORTS IN THE DETROIT AREA. ONE OF THOSE FRIENDS WAS MEL FARR OF THE DETROIT LIONS. MARVIN USED TO BRAG TO FRIENDS THAT HE HAD THE TALENT TO PLAY HALFBACK FOR THE LIONS, AND WOULD LIKE A TRYOUT. THIS WENT ON FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, UNTIL FINALLY, A TRYOUT WAS ARRANGED FOR HIM DURING TRAINING CAMP. MARVIN...PROBABLY ABOUT 165 POUNDS (SOAKING WET), WORKED OUT FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. HE AHOWED UP AT THE LIONS TRAINING CAMP AT CRANBROOK, AND WAS ISSUED GEAR AND TAUGHT A COUPLE OF FORMATIONS. AS THE STORY GOES...MARVIN CHECKED INTO THE SCRIMMAGE LINEUP, AND HAD HIS NUMBER CALLED. THE DEFENSIVE LINE WAS WAITING FOR HIM, AS THEY NEVER SUSPECTED THAT HE WOULD BE ASKED TO BLOCK. ACCORDING TO LEGEND...MARVIN TOOK THE HANDOFF, RAN WIDE, AND WAS GREETED BY ALEX KARRAS OR SOMEONE. POOR MARVIN...LEGEND GOES HE GOT "POPPED". WEARILY GETTING TO HIS FEET, PROCLAIMED HIS "RETIREMENT" FROM PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL AT THAT MOMENT...MAKING HIM ELEGIBLE FOR THE HALL OF FAME IN FIVE SHORT YEARS. NEXT...MARVIN VS JOSE FELICIANO...STU

By HW (68.37.217.106) on Sunday, October 27, 2002 - 09:03 pm:

Quick somewhat off-topic reply to the query above:

Marvin & Tammi Complete Duets CD -

Disc 1:
play track 1 for a few seconds, then press your CD 'rewind' button all the way prior to the beginning of the music track, for about 1 minute. You'll hear the previous take breakdown/false start of Ain't No Mountain High Enough. It's a 'hidden' track.


Disc 2:
play the final indexed track all the way to the end - alll the way. let the last song fade out and wait a few seconds...

By STUBASS (152.163.188.68) on Sunday, October 27, 2002 - 10:22 pm:

HW; BACK ON TOPIC...SOMEWHAT RELATED TO YOUR POST. IT'S OFTEN BEEN ASKED ABOUT THE INTRO TO "WHATS GOING ON". THE LOOSE JIVE TALK BACKGROUND TO THE INTRO. RELATED TO MARVINS INTEREST IN SPORTS, IT'S ACTUALLY MEL FARR AND LEM BARNEY OF THE DETROIT LIONS, ALONG WITH PISTON GREAT DAVE BING DOING THE TALKING.

By StingBeeLee (68.43.129.202) on Sunday, October 27, 2002 - 11:06 pm:

Thanks, HW, for the info about the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell C.D. Stubass, do you remember Marvin practicing football on the median grass strip on Outer Drive? I thought he was crazy.