Marva Whitney: Soul

There are no big names in funk than James Brown. That should really just go with out saying. But in addition to being one of the most entertaining vocalists of the twentieth century, Brown played keyboards on a number of his early instrumentals. And while he's obviously not known for that, it isn't to far off from how Miles Davis approached the instrument during that later part of the '70s.

Perhaps more important than his keyboard prowess, Brown was pretty adept at finding talent and adapting it to suit his needs. During the late '60s, Brown created his Revue which included a number of female singers backing him up, but also getting the chance to perform a few of their own tunes.

Vicki Anderson, Lyn Collins, Martha High and Marva Whitney made up this crew of singers that would accompany Brown around the country and even to Vietnam to entertain troops. But it's Whitney that, over the years, has retained her glory. While her name isn't ubiquitous in the general culture, if you talk to anyone that either collects records or is an avid funk and soul fan, she's a cornerstone in their listening habits.

Hailing from Kansas City, Kansas, Marva was born into a musical family 'the Mannings' during 1944. As with many performers of the time, she began her career with a group made up by family members. They even toured a bit regionally. The music and songs of the Manning Gospel Singers was obviously greatly focused on devotionals in one way or another. But Marva's voice, even at this stage of her life, was one of the group's greatest attributes.

When Marva joined the James Brown Revue, it should have marked the beginning of a career highlighted in various press outlets of the time. But performing in a group with not just Brown, but also the immensely talented J.B.'s in addition to the other female singers relegated Marva to the backseat.

To his credit though, Brown realized that Marva was as supremely talented as anyone else in his troupe and aided her in the recording process. Her lone solo album It's My Thing, which was released in 1969, yielded a respectable hit in the guise of the title track. It didn't top the RnB charts and oddly enough, didn't really impact the Pop charts at all. She returned a few more times during this era, turning in singles which never garnered the attention they deserved considering her own talent and that of Brown's band that backed her.

Today, those albums pull in ridiculous amounts of money. THIS single alone is being auctioned for $60, while this rare LIVE ALBUM is going for $200. In the realm of collectors, this all seems reasonable. And maybe it is considering how good this music sounds. You might not know her name, but you’d probably recognize the songs “Unwind Yourself” and “In the Middle” seeing as they’ve both been sampled innumerable times. Readers should hope that she got some royalties for those tracks, though.