Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By
Encyclopedia
"Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By" is a duet released in 1969 on the Tamla
label by renowned singers Marvin Gaye
and Tammi Terrell
.
The first release off the duo's third album, Easy, it has been hugely debated whether or not an ailing Terrell, who was dying from a brain tumor
, was on the track or if the song's co-writer, Valerie Simpson, subbed for Terrell.
In his biography, Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye, Marvin said Tammi was too ill to record, but Motown pushed for another Marvin/Tammi record. Marvin refused, calling it inhuman, until the label convinced him the album would cover for Terrell and her family, so Gaye and Simpson sung as if it were a Gaye/Terrell duet.
However, in Terrell's sister Ludie Montgomery's book, My Sister Tommie: The Real Tammi Terrell, Simpson reportedly denied she took part in the song saying Terrell was assisted to the studio to record her part. Whatever the reason, the song became an international top forty hit for the duo reaching number thirty on the pop chart and number twenty-six on the UK pop singles chart.
The recording was featured in the film The Boys in the Band
.
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
label by renowned singers Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Tammi Terrell
Tammi Terrell
Thomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...
.
The first release off the duo's third album, Easy, it has been hugely debated whether or not an ailing Terrell, who was dying from a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
, was on the track or if the song's co-writer, Valerie Simpson, subbed for Terrell.
In his biography, Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye, Marvin said Tammi was too ill to record, but Motown pushed for another Marvin/Tammi record. Marvin refused, calling it inhuman, until the label convinced him the album would cover for Terrell and her family, so Gaye and Simpson sung as if it were a Gaye/Terrell duet.
However, in Terrell's sister Ludie Montgomery's book, My Sister Tommie: The Real Tammi Terrell, Simpson reportedly denied she took part in the song saying Terrell was assisted to the studio to record her part. Whatever the reason, the song became an international top forty hit for the duo reaching number thirty on the pop chart and number twenty-six on the UK pop singles chart.
The recording was featured in the film The Boys in the Band
The Boys in the Band
The Boys in the Band is a 1970 American drama film directed by William Friedkin. The screenplay by Mart Crowley is based on his Off Broadway play of the same title, Crowley penned a sequel to the play years later entitled The Men From The Boys...
.
Personnel
- All vocals by Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Valerie Simpson - Produced and written by Ashford & SimpsonAshford & SimpsonNickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
- Instrumentation by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
Further reading
- Ritz, David, Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye (1985, 2003; in the book Gaye said Simpson subbed Terrell for vocals on the Easy album)
- Montgomery, Ludie, My Sister Tommie: The Real Tammi Terrell (2005; in this book Simpson denies subbing for Terrell)