back in the 60s, marvin gaye wanted to be frank sinatra. ll me what's goin' on ♪ ♪ ooh ♪ graham: marvin gaye was very much affected by the vietnam war. his brother was in vietnam, so he's hearing all these stories about what's going on over there. he's seeing the protest here, and it's changing him. he holds up a mirror to america. "look at yourselves, america." graham: he's talking about the war, he's talking about poverty, changing him as an artist in a way that berry gordy is not super happy about. ♪ mother, mother ♪ ♪ everybody thinks we're wrong ♪ ♪ they do ♪ initially berry gordy did not want marvin to do "what's goin' on." questlove: motown was supposed to be non-threatening. here you now have marvin gaye making a protest record about the war that could potentially ruin good money. you don't lightly talk about the government. ♪ yes, i want to know ♪ ♪ what's goin' on right now, people ♪ de passe: ultimately when he agrees to put out "what's goin' on," berry tells marvin, "okay, if you're right, i'll learn something. and if i'm right,

i heard it through the grapevine and diana ross and, oh, yeah, marvin gaye. and all i knew about him was that he had a red jaguar appeared aller i was thinking about that the time was i to know what he does for a living but whatever it is i'm going to be doing that. [laughter] it did not work out. .... .... and the only reason w'e is that i held on to those memories of germany and it was easier to do that. why? because on sundays in the summertime time, my grandparents were black indians from oklahoma. my grandfather again that i mentioned this i just love talk about my grandfather he's from enola, a farming community and he's african and cherokee. my grandmother maternal is from my grandmother's internal is the mcallister and mcallister is the second largest town in the nation and as far as i know she is african and cherokee as well. my father said the family is african so i always think about the fact that i have relations who were on the trail trail of tears and who survived that. that's the only reason the sheriff would be in oklahoma. i have relations th

and oh yes, marvin gaye. all i knew about him as he had a red jaguar at the thomas and i don't know what this man does for a living but i'm going to be doingag that. it didn't work out my background is music andt poetry. that is the landscape that is the atmosphere within which i am raise the only reason i am here is because i held onto those memories of germany and it was easier to do that, why? because on sundays in the summer time my grandparents were black indians from oklahoma. today mention this? i love to talk my grandfather is a farming community he is african and cherokee. my grandmother maternal is from mcallister.in mcallister's second largest town in the choctaw nation for its far as i know she's african and cherokee as well but my father's side of the family is african and seminole. i think about the facts that i have relations who were on the trail of tears who survived epic that only white cherokee would be in oklahoma. i have relatives, relations that fought the u.s. army to withstand a stands

he wrote music for the supremes and diana, diana ross and oh yeah, marvin gaye. and all i knew about him was that he had a red jaguar. so all i was thinking at the time was, i don't know what this man does for a living, but whatever it is, i'm going to be doing that. it didn't work out. my background again is as music and poetry. but but that is the milieu, that is the landscape, that is the atmosphere within which i was raised. and the only reason why i'm here is that i held on to those memories of germany and it was easier to do that. why? because on sundays in the summertime time, my grandparents were black indians from oklahoma. my grandfather again that i mentioned this i just love talk about my grandfather he's from enola, a farming community and he's african and cherokee. my grandmother maternal is from mcallister and mcallister is the second largest town in the choctaw nation. but as far as i know, she's african and cherokee as well. my father's side of the family is african and seminole. so i always think about the fact that i have relations who were on

where some of the greatest music icons of our time like stevie wonder, diana ross and the supremes, marvin gayers of the community keeping that music alive. like katherine russell. >> good morning. thank you for calling motown museum, home of hitsville usa. >> reporter: she donates her time, greeting eager callers who want to get a taste of the motown magic. >> miss katherine is the voice of motown museum. when you hear her answer our phones you know somebody special is on the other ends of that line. >> i think she found her niche and that's why she continues. >> reporter: working as a third grade teacher for detroit public schools for decades, miss katherine made it her personal mission to get her students to the museum. >> her bringing the kids to the museum, our bus is always ready. >> yes, yes, yes. don't even ask. >> reporter: miss katherine's contributions to motown and the detroit community still inspiring others to this day. >> please take account how much you've made a difference in the lives of children. >> miss katherine, you know how much we value you, how much we thank you, how mu

they would hear songs by marvin gaye and other r&b. of the farm to build a studio. here we are, like tens of millions of streams later. >> it's an amazing story. it brings me back todays i used to go around with james brown who was like a father to me. you meet all these people that had a love for music like they had that never thought about being commercially successful. i think that is what is so exhilarating about this moving story. donnie, let me ask you, was it that you wanted to be -- you and your brother wanted to be stars, or you just wanted to be musicians and get your music out there? i sense from reading the story, hearing the background of the movie, that you weren't dreaming of hollywood, you were just dreaming of getting your music out there. >> i just love music, reverend. just like -- it was everything this us out there. there's not a lot to do out there on a farm. i grew up with 13 kids in my class. as the movie talks about, listening to music on our tractor, one radio station. i listened to everything from al green to