Marvin Gaye recorded the original 1967 duet of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with Tammi Terrell. Their recording was Motown’s first major pairing of the two singers and became one of the defining male-female duets in soul music.
The song was written in 1966 by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, who later became a celebrated songwriting and performing team. Gaye and Terrell began recording it in December 1966 at Motown’s Hitsville U.S.A. studio; work was completed on February 1, 1967, and the single was released that April.
The recording was an upbeat, romantic duet supported by Motown’s Funk Brothers and Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians. It reached No. 3 on the U.S. R&B chart and No. 19 on the pop chart. The success led to more Gaye-Terrell collaborations, including “Your Precious Love” and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.”
Many listeners know the song through Diana Ross’s dramatic 1970 solo version, which became her first solo U.S. pop number one. That later recording is not the original duet; the original paired Gaye with Terrell.