SoleMannKing Presents Marvin and Nona Gaye...The National Anthem

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

February 1983 before the start of the NBA All-Star game, something amazing took place and that was Mr. Marvin Gaye giving us a Soulful Rendition of The Star Spangled Banner...I remember being 15 years old watching this and being awe strucked by it all.....

After he walked on the court and as he prepared to sing, all of a sudden, time got really really slow. And now, so many years after the fact, I can describe in precise detail what actually transpired. As Marvin stood at center court, a syncopated beat machine was turned on. For several minutes, all I could hear was that funky beat.

Then he started to sing… and he sang very slowly, drawing out every syllable of every word. Marvin took a full minute to sing the first line of the Anthem.

As Marvin was delivering that very first line, I felt like I was struck by lightning. I knew with certainty that I was witnessing something very special—a watershed cultural event that would be talked about many decades into the future.

Sadly as we all know, Marvin was killed by his father 14 months later...A Beautiful Voice Silenced Forever....Thank you Marvin for giving us this Excellent Version of The Star Spangled Banner.

MARVIN GAYE SINGS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM 1983




February 2004 during the All-Star weekend Festivities another watershed cultural event was witnessed although you never hear many talking about it, because it was not seen by many. Marvin's daughter Nona pulled a Nat King Cole-Natalie Cole and performed The National Anthem with her Father...

I had read in Jet a month earlier that she was planning on doing this and mistakenly thought it was going to be during the All-Star game that Sunday, so when it was time for the All Star weekend Festivities i was kinda in a bind and had to be somewhere by a certain hour, well i had all but told myself that i will be missing this, but at least Sunday i would be able to see The National Anthem and the All-Star game...

As i was getting ready to leave, i heard the announcers say Nona Gaye and was shocked to see that they were doing it right then and there before one of the events that night...I was so glad i was able to see it and it brought back all those feelings from 21 years earlier, my only regret was i could not record it because my son tore my VCR up....SMH/LOL

MARVIN AND NONA GAYE SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM 2004

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

Glad you like it....SMILE