Biography of Marvin & Johnny

Marvin Phillips was a constant presence in this swinging pair, but the role of his duet partner, Johnny, was variously held down by Emory Perry (who also handled the sax solos on many of their records), Carl Green, and even Marvin himself via overdubs. Phillips had recorded as a solo before teaming with Jesse Belvin in 1953 and hitting the R&B charts with "Dream Girl" for Specialty Records. Marvin recruited Perry for a series of rocking duets for Specialty, RPM, Aladdin, and other West Coast concerns. They cut the classic ballad "Cherry Pie" and its rocking hit flip, "Tick Tock," for RPM in 1954. ~ Bill Dahl