The Postal Service has unveiled additional artwork for its forthcoming Marvin Gaye stamp, part of its Music Icons series.
Known as the “Prince of Soul,” Gaye (1939-1984) was one of the most influential music performers of his generation, helping to shape the Motown sound in the late 1960s and broadening the reach of R&B music in the 1970s.
His 1971 expansive masterwork, “What’s Going On,” is widely considered one of the greatest recordings in the history of American popular music.
The stamp image, which USPS released in November, features a portrait of the singer inspired by historic photographs.
The stamp pane, revealed March 7, is designed to resemble a vintage 45-rpm record sleeve. One side of the pane includes the stamps and brief text about Gaye’s legacy, with the image of a sliver of a record seeming to peek out the top of the sleeve.
Another portrait of Gaye, also inspired by historic photographs, appears on the reverse, along with the Music Icons series logo.
Derry Noyes, a USPS art director, worked on the stamp pane with artist Kadir Nelson.
The stamp will be available April 2 at Post Offices and usps.com.
