That Stubborn Kinda Fellow is Marvin Gaye's second studio album, released on Tamla in 1963. As Gaye's second LP with Tamla, it introduced his first successful singles and established him as one of the label's early hit-making artists.

After the release of Gaye's debut album, The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye, tension arose between him and Motown over his career direction. Despite the debut's failure, which featured jazz and blues tracks alongside a few R&B songs, Gaye was hesitant to pursue an R&B career, believing it wouldn’t offer significant exposure to a crossover audience. Motown CEO Berry Gordy also struggled with how to effectively market the music.

While artists like The Miracles and Mary Wells achieved R&B success, they had little impact on pop audiences. Motown’s first signing, Marv Johnson, was an early hitmaker, but most of his music was released through United Artists. Motown's own labels: Tamla, Motown, and Gordy had yet to achieve substantial success, and early releases by The Temptations and The Supremes also failed to gain national attention.

The release of The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman", which combined a youthful R&B sound with pop appeal and became Motown's first number-one pop single, led Gordy to refocus the label on a more contemporary R&B sound. Initially resistant, Marvin Gaye changed his mind after witnessing the success of "Beechwood 4-5789," a song he co-wrote for The Marvelettes, and the growing pop success of Mary Wells. Motivated by these achievements, Gaye began collaborating with Mickey Stevenson, eager to establish himself within the burgeoning label.

Tracklist:

Side A

Side B