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David Ritz

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Divided Soul: The Life Of Marvin Gaye Paperback – May 1, 2003

by David Ritz (Author)

4.6 867 ratings

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"A biography as dramatic as any to come out of the pop field . . . told with sympathy and unflinching candor."--San Francisco Chronicle

In this intimate biography of the Prince of Soul, David Ritz provides a candid look at a star and a friend. Ritz had been collaborating with Gaye on his story for several years before the singer's tragic death, and had conducted a series of extraordinary interviews in which Gaye discussed his deepest secrets. Drawing from these interviews, Gaye's life is recounted in his own words and the words of those who knew him best: his family, friends, and colleagues. What emerges is a full-scale portrait of a charming but tortured artist, a brilliant singer with a divided soul.

Here is Marvin's story from his early years in the slums of Washington, D.C., to is rise to the top of the Motown industry, his fall from grace, his comeback, and finally his sudden, shocking end at the hands of his own father. But it is also the story of his glorious music, and the music of black America over the past fifty years, from gospel to doo-wop to soul to funk. The result is an epic tale whose cast of characters includes Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder, among others.

The definitive biography of an enormously gifted and sensitive man, Divided Soul takes us deep into the life and music of one of America's most passionate--and most troubled--composers and singers.

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publication date

May 1, 2003
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.55 x 8.55 inches
ISBN-10

030681191X
ISBN-13

978-0306811913
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"You won't find a more fascinating rock bio." -- Village Voice

About the Author

David Ritz is a Grammy Award winner and the only four-time winner of the Gleason Music Book Award. He won the 2013 ASCAP Award for outstanding musical bio for When I Left Home, written with Buddy Guy. He has collaborated with Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, B.B. King, Etta James, Janet Jackson, and Smokey Robinson, and is the co-composer of "Sexual Healing." Ritz lives in Los Angeles, California.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press; Reprint edition (May 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 030681191X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0306811913
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.55 x 8.55 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #55,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9 in R&B & Soul Artist Biographies
- #28 in Popular Music (Books)
- #262 in Black & African American Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.6 867 ratings

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David Ritz

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David Ritz (born December 2, 1943 in New York City) is an American author who has written more than 50 books. In addition to his work as a co-author of autobiographies for a range of entertainers from Ray Charles to Don Rickles, he has written lyrics ("Sexual Healing"), novels (Search for Happiness), profiles ("Stevie Wonder: Never Ending Song of Peace" in Rolling Stone), critical essays ("Robin Thicke, You’re No Marvin Gaye" in Rolling Stone) and over a hundred liner notes for artists such as Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Sarah Vaughan and Nat King Cole.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Joe Mabel [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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4.6 out of 5

867 global ratings

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Alonso Sanchez

best music biography

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024

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this is the best music biography I have ever read 5 stars. Very detailed and bery difficult to put down.

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2023

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Marvin Gaye was a complex guy and this book lets you get into the real personality of this great artist, who left us too soon

Helpful

R. D'Alessandro III

The Tortured Artist Effect - a tragic cliche all too real

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2011

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While the Publishers Weekly review recommended that fans simply listen to the man's records, David Ritz does a credible job of telling us what was going on in Marvin's life, and his tortured soul, that led to his death at his father's hands. While another writer might offer a more objective perspective on the singer's life, as Ritz seemed to get very close to Marvin Gaye, at least in his own mind, the author not only leads us through the Motown legend's drug-addled, but professionaly accomplished life, but he tells us a bit about the society in which he was raised, the musical world he aspired to conquer and the extreme dysfunction that a family can exert on its own. This is not easy reading, nor very comfortable, because the man trafficed in heavy sexual content in his songs and performances, and descended into a hellish drug addiction that inhibited his artistic ability and created a pervasive paranoia that led to a self-fulfilling prophecy: that he would die at the hands of killer wielding a hand-gun. Ritz does a fine job of revealing just how self-loathing the singer was, how conflicted over his sexuality he was - not that wasn't strongly heterosexual, but that he had a perverse madonna/whore complex towards women that built his lovers up on a pedestal and then smashed them down, often literally - and how little he really enjoyed his celebrity as a sexy soul singer. The corps of enablers all suckling from the trough didn't help the singer make any effort to conquer his demons but the many instances of physical abuse to his second wife, to female fans who came to his home seeking intimacy, and others makes one wonder why no one ever called the police, who could have had him tried on assault and battery, which might have led him to the kind of addiction therapy for his sexual healing that he so desperately needed but scrupulously avoided. In 1971 he asked for "mercy, mercy, me," but he never did find the salve for his divided soul. It's a terrible shame that his life was the epitome of the tortured artist, whose ravaged mind and life yielded such pearls of musical beauty. It's a price no one should have to pay.

20 people found this helpful

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Charles W. Hetzel

"The complexities and gifts of Marvin Gay." Gay and

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021

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Vivid portrayal of his whole life...his standing up to Barry Gordy and insisting on creating anti-war and pro black cultural songs reflecting the real lives of his friends and family....songs like "what's going on and so many more. The sordid violence of his "christian" father who enjoyed wearing women's clothes is studied in depth and may have contributed to his changing his name from gay to gaye so people wouldn't think he was gay. His insecurities and his strengths are explored sensitively.

The good ...the...bad...the ugly...the complex marvin gay ...the times..the competing stars..his sexual complexity..
His addictions ..the music of the time and one of the best albums in history are described by the author in intimate detail. He knew marvin well and interviewed him for hours over years until his father killed him.

A moving exceptionally well written book. Deeply moving.

7 people found this helpful

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RC

Divided Soul…Severe Mental Illness

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2015

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After reading Janis Gaye’s “After the Dance” book and this one about Marvin’s life, at the end of the day, you make the final conclusion that Marvin Gaye and most definitely his father along with several members of his family, his mother, wife Janis, brother, sister all suffered from some form of mental illness. Of course during this time, mental illness wasn’t a diagnosis but a label. The drug use and the egotistical attitude didn’t help either. Marvin lived on the edge and beyond his means and at times inflicted pain on the very ones that loved him the most. David Ritz did the best he could with the material he had to write this book; it’s much appreciated on the life of one of the greatest R&B soul artist to exist. Ritz gave some details about Marvin’s demise and murder at the hands of his father that others didn’t speak about. Great job, David Ritz.

12 people found this helpful

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vivian

i cant wait read whole book

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2012

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i been reading da preview of this book i am excited about this book to come at my door step i am learning more about him that didnt know about him more him as person then da artist man inside that was crying out for his father to love him as his son and deconstruction of that same man who for long time look for his father to say i love u son or i am pride of u son for da successful man u become i read book preview just feeling soooo sad if only he would have let that go just focus on his mom and brother and sisters love with they did show until him maybe he would still be here with now we all know used drugs didnt help da situation even it just sad to me i like learn about him but his trouble life may u feel bad for him RIP u will forever be miss

One person found this helpful

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Carlisle

Comprehensive, candid portrayal of the artist and music business

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2021

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Thoughtful, insightful biography of this incredible artist from multiple perspectives.
Richly detailed, true fans will take in every word. We come away with a a fuller sense of a complex man--from those closest to him and through quotes/conversations from Marvin himself. The author deserves more critical acclaim than he has received.

Helpful

fff3k

The good, the bad (in the book, and OF the book)...

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2022

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I know Gaye's music, but knew nothing of the artist himself. 'Divided Soul' is full of stories, details... and it's a pretty-interesting read. However... it's also filled with the writer's thoughts; filled with opinions, theories, analysis; and for me, there's as much of the writer in this book as there is of Gaye. It's not what I came here for.

Am finishing it today, and no regrets. But, in my opinion, a biographer should not overwhelm the subject, as Ritz does here, and a book half the size, without all the 'observations', would be a better read. The analysis, especially, is unnecessary.

Just my thoughts, of course.

2 people found this helpful

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patrick

Revealing

Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

Seems like it is all about the author's access. Large block quotes of Marvin's own words. Quite revealing--about the inner live of such a complexity private person who led such a public life. Includes first person account of the Great's last moment--from his mother, who was there.

Mila

Imprescindible

Reviewed in Spain on November 9, 2021

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Imprescindible biografía de uno de los gigantes del soul. No sé la pierdan.

One person found this helpful

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Kenneth Barrett

Tormented Soul

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2020

Verified Purchase

Marvin Gaye was a disaster zone. Riddled with insecurities, he agonised over a perceived inner femininity and lack of sexual potency, and haunted by his family name of Gay he added an "e" early in his career in an attempt to deflect fate.

He saw himself as a deity, born to bring art to adoring audiences, yet he was terrified of performing live, his fear warping into resentment, contempt and hatred for the women who were lusting for him. He was a notorious no-show, thinking nothing of cancelling performances at the last minute, often instructing his driver to keep driving as they approached a venue.

Contempt for the Motown machine led to a disastrous separation, and erratic production of new music let down everyone who attempted subsequently to progress his career. He needed money, desperately, and the only way to get it was to go out on the road. It was an inevitable downward spiral.

Much of the blame for his dysfunctional career, his grandiose behaviour and his two disastrous marriages can be laid upon his copious lifetime use of marijuana and cocaine, but the root of it can perhaps be found in his family background. His father, Marvin Gay Sr, was a religious fanatic. An effeminate man who sometimes wore women's clothing and a wig, he would stay for months in his own bedroom, subsisting on vodka. He terrorised his family and frequently stripped his children naked to lash them with a belt. He appears to have shown no love at all to his son.

Marvin Gaye was all the time running from his traumatic family background, yet seemed incessantly drawn back home, looking for the unconditional love that only his mother had given him, but which led to his final, fatal encounter with his father.

Author David Ritz has based his account on hours of interviews with Gaye himself in the 1970s and the beginning of the 80s, and with many who knew and worked with him. Ritz is a fan, and attempts hagiography, but the monstrous behaviour of his subject cannot be disguised.

3 people found this helpful

DkS

Best of the efforts I read on Marvin Gaye

Reviewed in Australia on January 27, 2021

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A sound effort, full of insights into the man and the times. Pretty much all of the reporting and biography I have seen plays up the 'Divided Soul' theme as well as viewing Marvin's life in the context of his death. To my mind, both of these approaches are over-done and generally lack merit. Marvin was actually quite the survivor who beat the odds in a number of ways and his life is a lot more coherent than is represented. He did however 'know drugs' and he did die at 44, apparently. It's just the 'colour in' which says little about Marvin Gaye.

GiGi

Per chi vuole conoscere meglio la vita e il carattere di questo cantante

Reviewed in Italy on March 9, 2014

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Biografia scritta da uno specialista del genere, chiamato appositamente da Marvin Gaye che aveva apprezzato quella scritta con Ray Charles, diventato durante la stesura suo amico e che ha perfino collaborato ai testi di "Sexual Healing" (anche se ci fu una causa per vedersene riconosciuti i diritti). Conoscevo abbastanza bene le opere di Gaye, ma avevo solo qualche confusa informazione sulla sua vita. Dopo la lettura mi sembra di comprendere molto meglio la genesi dei suoi album e di avere parzialmente svelato il mistero sulla sua lenta autodistruzione tramite le droghe, che indirettamente ha portato anche al suo omicidio da parte del padre. L'imagine "cool" di personaggio adorato dalle donne ne esce completamente mutata, rivelandone il lato tormentato e problematico; l'irrisolto rapporto con il padre che non lo ha mai amato come lui avrebbe voluto, la mancanza di autostima, il difficile rapporto con la sessualità. Tutto questo ovviamente unito al suo enorme talento, come cantante, musicista, autore e arrangiatore completamente autodidatta e che non sapeva leggere la notazione musicale. Affascinate per tutti coloro che ne ammirano le opere e abbastanza piacevole anche come lettura (ovviamente richiede una discreta conoscenza della lingua inglese).

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