Marv Johnson
Encyclopedia
Marv Johnson was an American
R&B
and soul
singer
, most notable for performing on the first record
to be issued from what became Motown.
group called the Serenaders in the mid 1950s. With budding talents not only as a singer but as a songwriter and pianist
, he was discovered by Berry Gordy
while Johnson performed at a carnival. Gordy had already decided to form his first record label
, Tamla, and Johnson's recording of "Come to Me" became the label's first single
in May 1959. The fledgling label did not have national distribution and so the song was released by United Artists
, and reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
.
Between 1959 and 1961, Johnson would issue nine Billboard Hot 100 singles including two Top 10s. The first of them was "You Got What It Takes
", which reached #10 in the US and #7 in the UK Singles Chart
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. "I Love The Way You Love" reached #9. He scored his final US Top 40 single in 1960 with "(You've Got To) Move Two Mountains". It also sold a million copies, giving Johnson his second gold disc.
Johnson enjoyed many hits in Australia
where he racked up a total of eight Top 40 hits
, including three chart-toppers. "Come To Me" was released in Australia on EMI
's London Records
(as were most of his Australian releases) and reached #16 on the 2UE
Top 40 in Sydney
. "You Got What It Takes" was his biggest Australian hit, topping the national charts for over 16 weeks in 1960. After "I Love The Way You Love" became a national Top 10 hit in mid 1960, Johnson flew to Australia to meet entrepreneur and Big Show
creator Lee Gordon
, and performed in his September Big Show, "Twist It Up". At the top of the bill were Bobby Rydell
, Chubby Checker
, and James Darren
with Jackie Wilson
, Johnson, and Barry Mann
. They were supported by Johnny O'Keefe
, The Delltones
and Col Joye
.
In the UK
, he had two Top Ten hits
. "You Got What It Takes", reached #7 in 1960, and "I'll Pick a Rose for My Rose" #10 in 1969. Three other recordings
made the UK chart: "I Love The Way You Love", "Ain't Gonna Be That Way" and "I Miss You Baby".
After issuing his final Motown singles in 1968, Johnson remained with Motown working on sales and promotion throughout the 1970s. He also wrote songs for Tyrone Davis
and Johnnie Taylor
.
Johnson continued singing into the 1990s, releasing a solo
album
on the London
based Motorcity Records
label. Johnson died of a stroke
on 16 May 1993, in Columbia
, South Carolina
, at the age of 54. He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery
in Detroit.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, most notable for performing on the first record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
to be issued from what became Motown.
Biography
Marvin Earl Johnson was born in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career singing with a doo-wopDoo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
group called the Serenaders in the mid 1950s. With budding talents not only as a singer but as a songwriter and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, he was discovered by Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
while Johnson performed at a carnival. Gordy had already decided to form his first record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Tamla, and Johnson's recording of "Come to Me" became the label's first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in May 1959. The fledgling label did not have national distribution and so the song was released by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, and reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
Between 1959 and 1961, Johnson would issue nine Billboard Hot 100 singles including two Top 10s. The first of them was "You Got What It Takes
You Got What It Takes
"You Got What It Takes" is a 1959 single by Marv Johnson. In the US it reached #2 on the Black Singles chart, and #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. In the UK Singles Chart it reached a high of #7.-Other recordings:...
", which reached #10 in the US and #7 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. "I Love The Way You Love" reached #9. He scored his final US Top 40 single in 1960 with "(You've Got To) Move Two Mountains". It also sold a million copies, giving Johnson his second gold disc.
Johnson enjoyed many hits in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where he racked up a total of eight Top 40 hits
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, including three chart-toppers. "Come To Me" was released in Australia on EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
(as were most of his Australian releases) and reached #16 on the 2UE
2UE
2UE is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by Fairfax Media. It is Sydney's and Australia's oldest commercial radio station, first broadcasting on 26 January 1925 on 1025 kHz AM before moving to 950 kHz in 1935 when virtually all Australian radio stations were assigned new...
Top 40 in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. "You Got What It Takes" was his biggest Australian hit, topping the national charts for over 16 weeks in 1960. After "I Love The Way You Love" became a national Top 10 hit in mid 1960, Johnson flew to Australia to meet entrepreneur and Big Show
The Big Show (NBC Radio)
The Big Show, an American radio variety program featuring 90 minutes of top-name comic, stage, screen and music talent, was aimed at keeping American radio in its classic era alive and well against the rapidly-growing television tide...
creator Lee Gordon
Lee Gordon
For the rock and roll promoter see Lee Gordon Lee "Stubby" Gordon was a jazz musician and the Cleveland bandsman who conducted the Rhythm Masters orchestra and wrote the music for songs such as "Tell Me Dreamy Eyes" , "Worryin' Blues" , and "Rippin' It Off." He was the first to broadcast...
, and performed in his September Big Show, "Twist It Up". At the top of the bill were Bobby Rydell
Bobby Rydell
Bobby Rydell is an American professional singer, mainly of rock and roll music. In the early 1960s he was considered a so-called "teen idol"...
, Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...
, and James Darren
James Darren
James William Ercolani , known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer.-Career:...
with Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
, Johnson, and Barry Mann
Barry Mann
Barry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
. They were supported by Johnny O'Keefe
Johnny O'Keefe
John Michael O'Keefe, known as Johnny O'Keefe was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the 1950s. Some of his hits include "Wild One" , "Shout!" and "She's My Baby"...
, The Delltones
The Delltones
The Delltones, a popular Australian rock 'n roll band, originally formed in 1958. They started out as a vocal harmony group with the lineup consisting of Brian Perkins, Noel Widerberg, Ian 'Peewee' Wilson and Warren Lucas...
and Col Joye
Col Joye
Colin Frederick Jacobsen AM , better known by his stage name Col Joye, is an Australian popular entertainer and entrepreneur...
.
In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he had two Top Ten hits
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. "You Got What It Takes", reached #7 in 1960, and "I'll Pick a Rose for My Rose" #10 in 1969. Three other recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
made the UK chart: "I Love The Way You Love", "Ain't Gonna Be That Way" and "I Miss You Baby".
After issuing his final Motown singles in 1968, Johnson remained with Motown working on sales and promotion throughout the 1970s. He also wrote songs for Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis , born Tyrone Fettson, was a leading American soul singer with a distinctive style, recording a long list of hit records over a period of more than 20 years. He had three no...
and Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Harrison Taylor was an American vocalist in a wide variety of genres, from rhythm and blues, soul, blues and gospel to pop, doo-wop and disco.-Early years:...
.
Johnson continued singing into the 1990s, releasing a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
on the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists.-History:...
label. Johnson died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
on 16 May 1993, in Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, at the age of 54. He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery
Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)
Woodlawn Cemetery is a cemetery located at 19975 Woodward Avenue, across from the Michigan State Fairgrounds, between 7 Mile Road and 8 Mile Road, in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the area's most well-known cemeteries.-History:...
in Detroit.
Chart singles
| Year | Single (Songwriter Songwriter A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer... s) |
Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1959 | "Come to Me Come to Me (Marv Johnson song) "Come to Me" is the debut single by American singer Marv Johnson. It's notable as the first single to be released by the then-fledgling Tamla Records label, later turned into a subsidiary of Motown Records... " (Berry Gordy, Jr. Berry Gordy Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:... / Marv Johnson) |
30 | 6 | — | |
| "I'm Coming Home" (Berry Gordy, Jr.) |
82 | 23 | — | ||
| 1960 | "(You've Got to) Move Two Mountains" (Berry Gordy, Jr.) |
20 | 12 | — | |
| "Ain't Gonna Be That Way" (Berry Gordy, Jr. / Marv Johnson) |
74 | — | 50 | ||
| "All The Love I've Got" (Bradford / Berry Gordy, Jr. / Holland) |
63 | — | — | ||
| "I Love The Way You Love" (Berry Gordy, Jr. / Mikaljohn) |
9 | 2 | 35 | ||
| "You Got What It Takes You Got What It Takes "You Got What It Takes" is a 1959 single by Marv Johnson. In the US it reached #2 on the Black Singles chart, and #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. In the UK Singles Chart it reached a high of #7.-Other recordings:... " (Berry Gordy, Jr. / Gwen Gordy / Tyran Carlo) |
10 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 1961 | "Happy Days" (Berry Gordy, Jr. / T. McKnight) |
58 | 7 | — | |
| "Merry-Go-Round" (Richie Furay Richie Furay Richie Furay is an American singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner... / Berry Gordy, Jr.) |
61 | 26 | — | ||
| 1969 | "I'll Pick a Rose for My Rose" (J. Dean / Marv Johnson / W. Weatherspoon) |
— | — | 10 | |
| "I Miss You Baby" (Clarence Paul Clarence Paul Clarence Otto Pauling , better known as Clarence Paul, was a songwriter and record producer for Detroit's Motown Records.... ) |
— | — | 25 | ||
Albums
- Marvelous Marv Johnson (1960) - United ArtistsUnited Artists RecordsUnited Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
- More Marv Johnson (1961) - United Artists
- I Believe (1966) - United Artists
- I'll Pick a Rose for My Rose (1969) UK TML 11111 - MotownMotown RecordsMotown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...