Rex Garvin

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Rex Garvin
Born(1940-07-24)July 24, 1940
Johnnie and Joe
Marie Knight

Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers

Rex Garvin (July 24, 1940

Johnnie and Joe, and his own 1966 recording "Sock It To 'Em J.B.", later recorded by The Specials
.

Life and career

Garvin was born in

R&B chart. He remained involved with the group as their pianist, arranger, musical director and (in their own word) "maestro" through various personnel changes during the 1950s, later explaining that he did so "mainly to meet girls".[4] Members of The Hearts later performed as The Jaynetts
.

At the same time, Garvin became Sanders' main assistant at

R&B in 1957) was written by Garvin, who sang harmony vocals on the song and was credited as bandleader.[4][5] The duo comprised Garvin's friend Joe Rivers, and Sanders' daughter Johnnie.[2] The song was covered in 1963 by Bobby Vinton, whose version reached No. 21 on the Hot 100.[6]

Garvin's own recording career started in 1957, with "My Darling Dear".[7] In 1959, his vocal duet with Marie Knight as Marie and Rex on "I Can't Sit Down" reached No. 94 on the Billboard pop chart. He formed his own group Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers in 1961, releasing their first single "Go Little Willie"/"Emulsified", on Epic Records; the single was reissued two years later by Okeh. The group toured widely on the "Chitlin' Circuit".[2]

Although Garvin had little commercial success, he released a string of records through the 1960s in a variety of styles, including "Oh Yeah!" (on the Scatt label, an offshoot of J&S, 1962), "Soul Food" (on Keynote, 1963), "Sock It To 'Em J.B." (originally on the Like label, 1966), "I Gotta Go Now (Up on the Floor)" (Like, 1967), and "You Don't Need No Help (You Can Sock It to Yourself)" (WSJ Sound, 1969).

Northern Soul compilations.[4] "Sock It to 'Em J.B." had a double meaning, being a tribute to James Bond performed in the style of James Brown;[2] it was issued as a single in the UK as well as the U.S., and later was covered by British band The Specials on their album More Specials in 1980 (a cover which lent the song a potential triple meaning, as it was also a form of homage to drummer John Bradbury). Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers – comprising saxophonist Clayton Dunn and drummer Pete Holman, together with Garvin on keyboards – also released an album, Raw Funky Earth on the Tower label in 1968.[8][9] Their last record release was "Strange Happenings" on the Chieftain label in 1971.[7]

He left the Mighty Cravers and quit the music business in about 1975. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia, but continued to play occasional gigs until 1985.[2] In 1990, "Emulsified" was covered by Yo La Tengo on their album Fakebook. Garvin died in Atlanta in 2013, aged 73.[4]

References

  1. ^ Profile, Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Interview, OtherSounds.com. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  3. ^ Profile, Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d "Rex Garvin". Rockabilly.nl.
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ISBN 0-89820-155-1
    .
  7. ^ a b "Rex Garvin". Soulfulkindamusic.net.
  8. ^ a b [2]
  9. ^ Cover shot of Raw Funky Earth, 3.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
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