 Blackstone Audio Presents Divided Soul, The Life of Marvin Gaye, by David Ritz Marvin's father, Marvin Pence Gaye Sr., the third of 13 children, was born on a farm along Catnip Hill Pike in Jessamine County, Kentucky, on October 1, 1914. Marvin Junior added the E to the family name after going into show business. Gaye's parents had been sharecroppers, and his mother broke sharply from the rest of the black community by joining what seemed to her neighbors an eccentric church, the House of God. Mamie Gaye was said to be the first female member of the Pentecostal sect. The long official name is a combination of quotes from the Old and New Testaments, Isaiah and 1st Timothy. The House of God, the Holy Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, the House of Prayer for all people. Similarly, the church is a bizarre mixture of Orthodox Judaism and Pentecostal Christianity. If you want to understand my religion and the spirit I received as a child, Marvin Junior once instructed me in his high-pitched, sad-edged voice. Then you must begin by talking to Bishop Rawlings. He's the man. On Georgetown Road, in the shadow of downtown Lexington, Sabbath services at the House of God begin at 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon. First, you notice the women, dressed dramatically in white, such as the dress code from Passover to Harvest Festival. This is a Christian church where only Old Testament holidays are honored. The dogma is strict, the male hierarchy is evident, the elders and deacons refer to one another by title, but the sight of the women in white is touching. Their heads are covered with white pillbox hats, lace flowing from the back, the crowns adorned with pale blue stars of David. The feeling is warm and maternal. The women take on the appearance of spiritual nurses, and it's easy to see why a young Marvin Junior was so deeply comforted by the church. The church women, he remembered. Oh, how they loved it when I sang. They'd hug me and smother me in their huge breasts. I like the way that felt, being able to please them with my voice. The gospel music in the House of God is traditional, wildly emotional, loose and free. Whaling saxophones, tambourines, organ, piano, guitars, trumpets, call and response, hand claps and dancing in the aisles. The mood is electric, ecstatic. The only musical obligation, explains Bishop Rawlings, is that we make a joyful note. Sample complete. Ready to continue?