Johnny Marvin

Johnny Marvin

Genres: All, jazz, ragtime, swing, 20s

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About Johnny Marvin

John Senator Marvin (July 11, 1887 – December 20, 1944) was an early American recording artist and musician, starting in 1924 and covering a twenty-year period for many record labels. Born in Butler, Oklahoma Territory in 1897, to parents John Harvey Marvin and his wife Molly. Marvin ran away from home at age 16, to perform with a travelling show called the Royal Hawaiians, under his middle name, Senator, where he played steel guitar and ukulele. Shortly after, he served in the US Navy during World War I. Upon returning home, he went on the road as a vaudeville performer. His first solo ukulele recording, "You know Me Alabam'", was in 1924 on the Radiex label under the name Johnny Marvin. Marvin went on to record 49 records for Victor Records from 1926 to 1930, under the name Johnny Marvin, The Ukulele Ace. His contract with Victor was not an exclusive one; he did performances and recordings under a large number of names with a variety of labels: Elton Spence and His Ukulele, Ukulele Luke, Jack Lane and His Uke, George Thorne, Billy Hancock, Honey Duke and His Uke - Harmony Label, Jimmy May and His Uke, and Ken Wallace. During World War II, he joined the USO to entertain the troops. Although he contracted dengue fever, a form of Malaria. His Christian Science beliefs prevented him from receiving treatment, and he returned home where he died of a heart attack resulting from his illness on December 20, 1944. Johnny Marvin was inducted into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2003. His citation reads in part, "In the decade when the ukulele was enjoying its greatest popularity, Marvin was one of the premiere ukulele performers."

Taken from Last.fm

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