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Marvin Gaye has been voted the favourite soul artist of all time by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2 listeners.

Gaye, famous for songs including I Heard It Through The Grapevine and What's Going On, fought off strong competition from fellow legendary soul singers Otis Redding (2), Aretha Franklin (3), Stevie Wonder (4) and Sam Cooke (5) to reach the top spot.

The full results of the online poll will be announced tonight (Saturday 27 August) in The Craig Charles Soul All-Nighter: No Sleep 'Til Breakfast on Radio 2 from 10pm.

Speaking about Marvin Gaye, presenter and soul aficionado Craig Charles says: "Marvin Gaye was an innovator and an experimenter. His music was way ahead of its time and is the definition of soul."

The top 20 list is as follows:

1. Marvin Gaye
2. Otis Redding
3. Aretha Franklin
4. Stevie Wonder
5. Sam Cooke
6. Luther Vandross
7. Al Green
8. James Brown
9. Levi Stubbs/Four Tops
10. Diana Ross/Supremes
11. David Ruffin/Temptations
12. Gladys Knight
13. Curtis Mayfield
14. Ray Charles
15. Smokey Robinson
16. Jackie Wilson
17. Bobby Womack
18. Teddy Pendergrass (Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes)
19. Michael Jackson/Jackson 5
20. Prince

The Craig Charles Soul All-Nighter (Saturday 27 September, 10pm-6am) is part of Radio 2's Summer Of Soul. The show will feature guests from the worlds of funk and soul throughout the night, including Wigan Casino founder Russ Winstanley, UK soul radio pioneer Greg Edwards, Soul II Soul founder and DJ Jazzie B and the voice of many soul classics, Jocelyn Brown.

The Summer Of Soul season also features a special documentary about Marvin Gaye, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his classic album What's Going On. Presented by Smokey Robinson, the documentary charts the story of the album which featured songs about social injustice, suffering, hatred, drug abuse, war, loss and poverty and inspired a new generation of performers to use their music for social commentary.

CH