Marvin Jerome Yancy (May 31, 1950 – March 22, 1985) was an American

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

ian,

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

and

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-winning

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

, and former pastor of Fountain of Life Baptist Church. He started his music career, in 1971, with The Independents, who were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

R&B

vocal group A musical ensemble, also known as a music group, musical group, or a band is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrume ...

. His lone solo album, ''Heavy Load'', was released on January 1, 1985, by

Nashboro Records Nashboro Records was an American gospel label principally active in the 1950s and 1960s. History Nashboro was founded in Nashville, Tennessee by Ernie Lafayette Young (1892-1977), who was the owner of a record store, Ernie's Record Mart, and sponso ...

, and it placed at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' magazine Gospel Albums chart.

Early life

Yancy was born on May 31, 1950, in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, as Marvin Jerome Yancy, to Reverend Robert Yancy Sr., who was the pastor of Fountain of Life Baptist Church, at the time of his death in 1977, and his mother, Anne. This was when Marvin stepped into the pastoral role of the church that he led until his death. Yancy was a graduate of

Cooley Vocational High School Edwin Gilbert Cooley Vocational High School (also known as Cooley Vocational High School and Upper Grade Center, commonly known as Cooley High) was a public 4–year vocational high school and middle school located in the Old Town neighborhood o ...

and went on to graduate from

Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...

along with The Chicago Bible Institute. Yancy was one of twelve siblings: he was one of eight brothers, Robert Jr., Kevin, Derrick, Sherwin, Stevie, Darrel, Melvin and Terry, along with four sisters that were in his family, Geraldine, Faye, Judith and Linda.

Music career

He began his music career in 1971, with The Independents, who were an American R&B

. The band disbanded in 1975, and he focused more on helping his spouse

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

, with recording and writing songs as her

. This was a powerful musical union because she won

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s for two songs, and they were in the category of

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...

at the 18th Annual Awards in 1976 for the song, " This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)", and the following year in 1977 at the 19th Annual Awards for the song, "

Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady) "Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)" is a 1976 R&B/Soul song recorded by American singer Natalie Cole issued as lead single from her second album ''Natalie''. The song won Cole a second consecutive Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Pe ...

". His only solo release, ''Heavy Load'', was released on January 1, 1985, by

, and this placed at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' magazine Gospel Albums.

Personal life

Yancy's first marriage was to

on July 31, 1976. They had a son together, Robert Adam "Robbie" Yancy, who was born on October 14, 1977, but this marriage ended in divorce in 1980. He was married a second time in 1983, to Saundra Renaire Mays, who was in the choir of his church at the time. He had one child from this marriage, a daughter Brandy Raquel Yancy. Also from a previous relationship, he had a son named Marvin Jerome Yancy Jr. Marvin Sr. suffered a minor stroke a month before his death from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on March 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois. He was buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island.

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yancy, Marvin 1950 births 1985 deaths African-American songwriters African-American Christians Musicians from Chicago Songwriters from Illinois 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American songwriters