Marv Johnson

Best remembered for a handful of hits including the Top Ten smashes "You Got What It Takes" and "I Love the Way You Love," Marv Johnson was also a seminal figure in the early history of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown+Records%22">Motown Records</a>. Marvin Earl Johnson was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1938, and was raised in a musical environment that mixed the gospel music of the Baptist church with the jump-jazz of Louis Jordan & His Tympany 5. By the time he was in high school he had joined a local singing group, playing carnivals and fairs. In 1958, he cut his first sides, "My Baby-O" and "Once Upon a Time;" the single failed to sell, but the recording session resulted in a meeting with songwriter and would-be record producer <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Berry Gordy</a>.

After Johnson played his original song "Come to Me" for <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Gordy</a> and his future wife Raynoma, the couple chose Johnson as the first artist for their fledgling record label, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tamla%22">Tamla</a>. Because the new label didn't have distribution outside of Detroit, "Come to Me" (credited to <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Gordy</a> and Johnson) was released nationally by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22United+Artists%22">United Artists</a>, and rose to number six on the R&B charts and number 30 on the pop charts. <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Gordy</a> soon lost direct control of his first discovery after <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22United+Artists%22">United Artists</a> signed Johnson directly, but continued as the singer's manager. Johnson also toured with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a> acts such as <a href="spotify:artist:6TqQLejnHXMGr7KcegxUND">the Miracles</a> in addition to appearing on <a href="spotify:artist:1wNkMmCAKqLRipNCmJxYZ2">Alan Freed</a>'s rock & roll revues and media venues such as American Bandstand, and joined early package tours and stage revues where he shared bills with his idols <a href="spotify:artist:6hnWRPzGGKiapVX1UCdEAC">Sam Cooke</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4VnomLtKTm9Ahe1tZfmZju">Jackie Wilson</a>.

Johnson's second single fared poorly, but his third, 1959's "You've Got What It Takes," exploded onto the charts, becoming a Top Ten hit and earning a gold record. The 1960 follow-up "I Love the Way You Love" also landed in the Top Ten; among his subsequent singles, "You've Got to Move Two Mountains" was a more pop-flavored effort that reached the Top 20, while "Happy Days" got to number seven on the R&B charts late in 1960. "Merry-Go-Round," issued in early 1961, was Johnson's last chart success.

In 1965, with the British Invasion in full swing, Johnson's contract was dropped by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22United+Artists%22">United Artists</a>; he finally came "home" to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a>, joining the <a href="spotify:artist:4xRLKAf96K6YdGDWjY6ra8">Gordy</a> label, but never enjoyed another American hit, although he earned a British gold record with "I'll Pick a Rose for My Rose" for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tamla%22">Tamla</a> in 1968. He later worked in a front-office job for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Motown%22">Motown</a>, and also wrote songs for <a href="spotify:artist:76agLI5oSCFbmZnBqKcBJd">Tyrone Davis</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4OGuNAnRFWZOgOA2d51taz">Johnny Taylor</a>. Johnson's recording career ended in the late '60s, but he never stopped performing, and remained active on-stage into the early '90s. Johnson died from a stroke at a concert in Columbia, South Carolina on May 16, 1993. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi