Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - California Soul

Great tune by Marvin Gaye and (maybe) Tammi Terrell. Their version was recorded in 1967 during Terrells physical decline (she was suffering from a brain tumor) and released after her death, on their last duet LP Easy.
The rumor has always been (thanks to claims by Gaye himself) that the vocals on this tune (and many tunes recorded during this period) were not in fact Terrell, but actually Valerie Simpson (something that Simpson herself has denied).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Marvin
• Gaye
• Tammi
• Terrell
• California
• Soul
• Northern
• Motown
• Ashford
• Simpson

[stangace20]

I prefer the marlena shaw version

[MartiniandCigarettes]

The best version to me. With that Valerie Simpson/Tammi rumor going on, most of the comments forget to mention the magnificence of mister Gaye's voice here. Maybe just because his perfection is absolute evidence. We miss a singer like him nowadays. The real man.

And yes it's Tammi. Listen to her at 0:58. No one swings like she did. They were the perfect duet.

[TheRevglk]

@stangace20 out of the marvin&tammi and 5th dimension version I too prefer Marlena Shaw. Even if that is Val Simpson on the Marvin version so what Val wrote it.

[SuddenSparkles]

@stangace20 I like both versions, it's a great song.

[RamonaFromPomona]

Nice rendition. The 5th reigns supreme on this one ...

[951oct]

in reality, the first verse was really recorded by tammy terrell and when she died the song wasnt ever finished. so to finish the song where it left off, valerie stepped in and finished the last verse mimiking tammi's voice,

[DudeTC811]

Clearly NOT TT, and VS simply doing her best vocal impersonation of TT.  But, can totally understand why it was done... still.

[TheMeatyBeats]

great song

I sampled a part of this song in an instrumental I made , check it out please, would be appreciated :)

youtube.com/watch?v=KCHrtxzfcR­4&feature=relmfu

[missbirdsong]

The 1st couple of lines sounds like Tammi; after a certain point in the song it is very def Val Simpson.

[missbirdsong]

THis is Valerie Simpson doing a passable imitation of Tammi. If you listen carefully without bias it is very clear. Val did deny that it was her out of embarrassment in her part in perpetuating a fraud on teh listening public. She KNOWS this is her singing and aso did Marvin. Is Is Still Good to You is 20 years later approx. voices change subtlely . This is Valerie Simpson. The tonal quality is too high (not the key).

[88ritchie]

@ballintotty

Trust and believe thats not how she died, you're way misinformed

[SuperLtrain1]

Oh, yesp this is Tammi, not Valery. Vocal quality is only slightly different but discernable.