Tammi Terrell was one of Motown’s brightest stars, but she had a deeply tragic life.
She had relationships with James Brown and Temptation David Ruffin, both of whom abused her terribly. Brown beat her so severely that she bled; Ruffin hit her in the head with a motorcycle helmet.
She really found her stride in duets she did with Marvin Gaye. Of those, the greatest was probably Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, which they recorded in 1967.
The chemistry in this video is amazing. Although Terrell and Gaye were never romantically involved, they were very close friends and cared for each other deeply, and it shows.