Marvin Pentz Gaye, Jr. was born on April 2, 1939, in Washington, D.C.. Marvin Gaye sang in his father's church at the age of three and quickly rose through its ranks as a soloist. Soon, he also learned how to play the piano and drums. Following his high school graduation, Gaye enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. In 1960 he became a house musician. At the end of the year, Gaye caught the attention of Motown founder Berry Gordy, he signed Gaye to Motown records. His debut single came out in 1961, "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide."

Terrell was born in Thomasina Montgomery, Philadelphia on April 29, 1945. After winning a number of local talent contests, by the age of 13 she was opening club dates for acts including Gary "U.S." Bonds and Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles. In Detroit in 1965, Terrell was spotted and signed by Motown chief Berry Gordy, Jr., making her label debut with "I Can't Believe You Love Me. In 1967 Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye released "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." It was a classic and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame -- the song spent three weeks at three on the R&B charts, reaching number 19 on the pop charts. In 1967 Terrell collapsed in Gaye's arms while in concert at Virginia's Hampton-Sydney College, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Because of the tumor, Terrell retired from performing live. She continued to record with Gaye even as her health got worse; Terrell had to have eight operations. Because of it, she lost memories and was partially paralyzed. She died in Philadelphia on March 16, 1970 at the age of 24. Gaye backed away from the spotlight in the 1970s because of Tammi Terrell's death and personal problems. He returned in 1971 with "What's Going On," a single where Gaye sang about political things. On April 1, 1984, Marvin Gaye, Sr. shot and killed his son. Marvin Gaye would have turned 45 years old the following day.

To the left is a performance of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

Michael was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. He was the fifth son born to Katherine and Joe Jackson. Joe guided his sons into a musical act around 1962. To start, just the three oldest children, Tito, Jackie, and Jermaine sang. Michael and his brother Marlon joined them in 1964 making them The Jackson 5. They earned accolades at local talent shows and went on to play soul clubs throughout the Midwest, working their way toward the East Coast in 1967 where they won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater. But their big break arrived when they opened for Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers in Chicago at the Regal Theater. Impressed, Taylor brought them to the attention of Berry Gordy, Jr., who signed the group to Motown in March of 1969 and then sent them out to Los Angeles. "I Want You Back," a song written and produced by Motown's new crew the Corporation, was released in October 1968 when Michael Jackson was just 11 years old. "I Want You Back" rocketed to number one on both the pop and R&B charts.

Motown then gave Michael a solo act. His first solo single, "Got to Be There," was released at the end of 1971. It was included in his 1979 album, "Off the Wall," that made Michael Jackson a force of his own. But the second single, "Billie Jean," broke new ground. "Billie Jean" was a pop explosion, topping the charts in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. Some of its success can no doubt be credited to its awesome music video, which broke MTV's then-unspoken racial barrier. After Jackson video, the network began playing more black acts. Some of the single's success is due to his fantastic performance on Motown's 25th Anniversary Special in 1983. It aired on May 16, 1983 where Jackson unveiled his signature moonwalk dance -- a move that made it appear as if he was gliding backward -- and announced himself to the world as a talent. He brought out hits like "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror," and "Dirty Diana." They all reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1987 and 1988. Michael passed out at home on June 25, 2009 and was taken to the UCLA Medical Center. Jackson died of a heart attack.

Here I sang "Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson.

Tamela Mann, was born on June 9, 1966 in Fort Worth, Texas, and she's the youngest of 14 children. She was singing in the church's adult choir by the time she was 12, sometimes as a soloist. Mann continued singing in choirs throughout high school. Her professional singing career began in the '90s, when she joined Kirk Franklin & the Family's gospel organization. It led Tamela into an acting career, as well as solo recordings earning her Dove, Stellar, and Grammy award nominations. After she left Franklin's organization, her acting career began with a role in David E. Talbert's He Say…She Say…But What Does God Say?, a gospel musical. "Best Days" (2012), her most popular release, debuted at number one on the Billboard Gospel chart and peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200.

"Take Me To The King" by Tamela Mann is featured in this video.

Sam Cook was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on January 22, 1931. He was a son of a Baptist minister. When he was younger, he had a extraordinary voice and sang in the choir in his father's church. Sam and three siblings also formed a group called the Singing Children, in the 1930s. As a teenager, he was a member of the Teen Highway QCs, a gospel group that performed in churches and gatherings. His work in that group led to his introduction to the Soul Stirrers, one of the top gospel groups in the country, and in 1950 he joined them. Over the next six years, his popularity rose in the black community and he became a star, getting a devoted audience, through his performances on "Touch the Hem of His Garment," "Nearer to Thee," and "That's Heaven to Me." in between the singles came some albums, including Tribute to the Lady, his album of songs associated with Billie Holiday.

He signed with RCA Records, the one of the three biggest labels in the world (the others being Columbia and Decca). He was also organizing his own publishing company (Kags Music) and also made a record label (SAR). Cooke was aware of treatment of of black Americans and other oppressed minorities. All of these factors convinced him that the time was right for songs that dealt with more than twisting the night away. He made "A Change Is Gonna Come," which is the greatest song to come out of the civil rights movement. On December 11, 1964, in Los Angeles, Cooke had a fight at a motel with a female guest and the motel's night manager. He was shot to death while allegedly trying to attack the manager. Cooke's death shocked the black community.

My last selection is "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke.

Fine arts courses impacted my education by providing me thoughts about my heritage and the types of music and the struggles of what my people went through. I learned so much. I never knew how hard it would be recording these songs. I had to learn them by heart which was fun to do. Learning what people can do in certain times when things were hard for African Americans, and how they fought with basically music was extraordinary.

Things that I would change about my project: I would have liked to find a classical art song for my collection, and I would like to have had different backgrounds for each video I recorded. Overall, I love this project and I'm glad that I did it.