Marva Josie (also known as Marva Josie Spurling) is an American jazz singer who was a longtime vocalist for
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...
.
Biography
Josie was born on December 9, 1939, in
Clairton, Pennsylvania
Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Monongahela River and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 6,181 at the 2020 United States ce ...
, a suburb of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
.
Josie first met Hines in 1968. She toured for 16 years with his quartet, and they recorded several albums together. In 1976 they played at the White House for President
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
and later for President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
. She was the last vocalist to tour with Hines.
Before joining Hines' group, Josie made a reputation as an
R&B singer based in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. She was originally trained in classical music and opera, and was known for her extraordinary (-octave) range.
Discography
Source:
* 1973: ''Marva Josie with Earl Hines and his Orchestra - This Is Marva Josie''
* 1977: ''An Evening with Earl Hines'' ("Live at Dinklers Motor Inn"): with
Tiny Grimes, Hank Young,
Bert Dahlander and Marva Josie: Disques Vogue VDJ-534
* 1977: ''Earl "Fatha" Hines and Marva Josie – Jazz is His Old Lady... and My Old Man''
* 1982: ''Earl Hines with Marva Josie and the 150 Band - Fatha's Birthday''
* 1984: ''Forever Love''
* First Church of Deliverance Choir featuring Earl "Fatha" Hines, Marva Josie - ''Songs Of Deliverance'', Volume IV
Singles & EPs
* 1962: You Lied
* 1963: I Don't Care
* 1965: I Love New York / "Don't"
* 1965: Birthday Fella / Did You Ever Love Someone
* 1966: Crazy Stocking's
* 1969: I'm Satisfied - Love's Burning Fire
* 1971: Marva Josie, Earl "Fatha" Hines Quartet - He Does It Better/Scarborough Fair
* 1973: Marva Josie, Earl Hines And His Orchestra - Social Security/Can She
* 1977: Earl "Fatha" Hines* With Marva Josie - Jazz His Old Lady And My Old Man
* 1986: Love You Don't Know Me / Lollipop
/ref>
References
1939 births
American women jazz singers
American jazz singers
Living people
{{US-jazz-singer-stub