It’s showtime for the Postal Service’s new stamp honoring Marvin Gaye, the singing icon who was one of the most influential performers of his generation.
USPS released the stamp April 2.
Known as the “Prince of Soul,” Gaye (1939-1984) helped shape the Motown sound in the late 1960s and broadened 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 the Postal Service released in November, features a portrait of the singer inspired by historic photographs.
The stamp pane, revealed in March, 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, part of the Music Icons series, is available at Post Offices and usps.com.