This year marks the 40th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s tragic death, and as his legacy lives on, we may get a chance to hear some of the singer’s previously unreleased music.
According to the BBC, Gaye left a collection of stage costumes, notebooks and audio tapes with Charles Dumoulin, a Belgian musician who hosted Gaye at his home in Ostend in the early 1980s.
The family’s business partner, Belgian lawyer Alex Trapenius, told the BBC: “Here we can open a time capsule and share Marvin’s music with the world. It’s very clear: he just exists.” he said.
Trapeniers cataloged the audio recordings, saying, “Every time a new instrumental started when Marvin started singing, I numbered it. By the time I finally finished listening to all 30 tapes, there were 66 new song demos. I was able to do it,” he explained.
An unreleased Marvin Gaye song was discovered at a friend’s house in Belgium. (Jim Britt/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
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He added, “Some of them are complete, and some of them are as good as ‘Sexual Healing,’ because they were made around the same time.”
One song in particular stuck in my heart.
“There’s a song and I listen to it for 10 seconds and it’s like the moment the planets align and I realize that the music is going to be in my head all day long and the lyrics are going to be in my head all day long,” he said. Ta.
In addition to ownership of physical goods, issues of intellectual rights are already intensifying.
According to a BBC interview with Alex Trapeniers, a lawyer connected to Charles Dumoulin’s family, some of the recordings are “as good as ‘sexual healing'”. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
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According to Trapenier, “they belong to the following:” [the family] Because they were left behind in Belgium 42 years ago. Marvin gave it to them and said, “Use it as you like,” but he never returned. That’s important. ”
According to the BBC, which Dumolin passed in 2019, Belgian law states that any property, including stolen goods, absolutely becomes the person’s property after 30 years, meaning according to the country’s law. It will be owned by Mr. Dumoulin’s family.
However, this does not apply to intellectual property, so he and the Dumorins could not legally release their music.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gaye’s estate, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the BBC, Belgian law states that any property, including stolen goods, absolutely belongs to a person after 30 years, meaning the Dumolin family will sell the recordings under the country’s laws. It means there is a possibility. (Armando Gallo/Getley Images)
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Trapeniers believes a compromise can be reached between Gaye’s family, him and his associates to release his music to the world.
“I think Marvin’s family and the collection in Marvin’s hands will benefit both of us.” [Dumolin’s heirs]. If we could just put our hands together and find the right people in the world, like Mark Ronsons or Bruno Mars…I’m not here to make a suggestion, I’m just saying, “Okay, listen to this and then… I want to say, “Let’s make an album.” ” He said.
He also cited the complex moral and legal situation that both parties are embroiled in, noting that the Dumorain family could simply sell the collection if they wanted to.
“Morally, I want to work with families, but this is a nightmare for them… Someone from a country with a lot of money comes and we have an agreement and this collection will leave this country,” he explained.
Trapenier hopes that a compromise can be reached between Gay and Dumoulin’s families regarding what to do with the material. (NBCU Photo Bank)
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Gaye was nicknamed the “Prince of Motown” and the “Prince of Soul” for his behind-the-scenes work creating the label’s distinctive sound before branching off to pursue his own career.
He was known for hits such as “Sexual Healing,” “What’s Going On?” and “Let’s Get It On,” as well as his influence on the R&B genre as a whole.
On April 1, 1984, the day before Gaye’s 45th birthday, Gaye’s father, Marvin Gaye Sr., shot and killed his son during an argument. Gay Sr. pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received probation.
Gay music has been at the center of two major legal disputes in recent years.
In recent years, gay music has been the subject of major legal disputes with stars like Ed Sheeran and Pharrell Williams. (Jill Petard/Red Ferns)
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In 2018, Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke lost their lives after a federal judge ruled that their 2013 hit song “Blurred Lines” was similar to Gay’s single “Got to Give It Up.” He was ordered to pay $5 million to Gay’s family. According to the ruling, Gaye’s family will also receive 50% of the royalties from “Blurred Lines.”
Last year, Ed Sheeran was locked in a legal battle after a jury ruled he did not copy Gaye’s 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” single “Let’s Get It On.” I won the case.
