Rex Garvin (July 24, 1940Interview
OtherSounds.com. Retrieved December 6, 2013. – December 2, 2013) was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, keyboard player and arranger. His writing credits include the 1957 US chart hit " Over the Mountain; Across the Sea", by

Johnnie and Joe Johnnie & Joe were an American R&B vocal duo from The Bronx, New York, United States, who were best known for their 1957 hit "Over the Mountain; Across the Sea." Johnnie Louise Richardson (June 29, 1935, Montgomery, Alabama - October 25, 1988, N ...

, and his own 1966 recording "Sock It To 'Em J.B.", later recorded by The Specials.

Life and career

Garvin was born in Harlem and raised by foster parents in the Bronx. He took piano lessons as a child. In 1954, he helped form The Hearts, a female vocal group with whom he sang bass, played piano and wrote and arranged songs. Managed by neighbor Zelma "Zell" Sanders, The Hearts' first record "Lonely Nights" was issued on the Baton label in early 1955 and reached No. 8 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' R&B chart. He remained involved with the group as their pianist, arranger, musical director and (in their own word) "maestro" through various personnel changes during the 1950s, later explaining that he did so "mainly to meet girls".Rex Garvin at Black Cat Rockabilly
/ref> Members of The Hearts later performed as The Jaynetts. At the same time, Garvin became Sanders' main assistant at

J&S Records J & S Records was a New York record label started in 1956 and continued through to the early 1970s. The owner was Zelma "Zell" Sanders (1922–1976), one of the few woman label owners in the record business. In the early 1950s Sanders was managin ...

, which she set up in 1956, and he was responsible for the label's typical full, bottom-heavy piano-laden arrangements. The label's greatest successes came with the duo Johnnie and Joe, whose biggest hit "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea" (#8

Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

and No. 3 R&B in 1957) was written by Garvin, who sang harmony vocals on the song and was credited as bandleader.The Hearts by J. C. Marion
/ref> The duo comprised Garvin's friend Joe Rivers, and Sanders' daughter Johnnie. The song was covered in 1963 by Bobby Vinton, whose version reached No. 21 on the Hot 100. Garvin's own recording career started in 1957, with "My Darling Dear".Rex Garvin discography at SoulfulKindaMusic.com
/ref> In 1959, his vocal duet with Marie Knight as Marie and Rex on "I Can't Sit Down" reached No. 94 on the ''Billboard'' pop chart. He formed his own group Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers in 1961, releasing their first single "Go Little Willie"/"Emulsified", on

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

; the single was reissued two years later by Okeh. The group toured widely on the "

Chitlin' Circuit The Chitlin' Circuit was a collection of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper Midwest areas of the United States that provided commercial and cultural acceptance for African American musicians, comedians, and other enterta ...

". Although Garvin had little commercial success, he released a string of records through the 1960s in a variety of styles, including "Oh Yeah!" (on the Scatt label, an offshoot of J&S, 1962), "Soul Food" (on Keynote, 1963), "Sock It To 'Em J.B." (originally on the Like label, 1966), "I Gotta Go Now (Up on the Floor)" (Like, 1967), and "You Don't Need No Help (You Can Sock It to Yourself)" (WSJ Sound, 1969). Rex Garvin discography at wangdangdula.com
/ref> Several of these recordings have been anthologized in recent years, particularly on Northern Soul compilations. "Sock It to 'Em J.B." had a double meaning, being a tribute to James Bond performed in the style of

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

; it was issued as a single in the UK as well as the U.S., and later was covered by British band The Specials on their album '' More Specials'' in 1980 (a cover which lent the song a potential triple meaning, as it was also a form of homage to drummer John Bradbury). Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers – comprising saxophonist Clayton Dunn and drummer Pete Holman, together with Garvin on keyboards – also released an album, ''Raw Funky Earth'' on the Tower label in 1968.Cover shot of ''Raw Funky Earth''
3.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 21, 2015. Their last record release was "Strange Happenings" on the Chieftain label in 1971. He left the Mighty Cravers and quit the music business in about 1975. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia, but continued to play occasional gigs until 1985. In 1990, "Emulsified" was covered by Yo La Tengo on their album '' Fakebook''. Garvin died in Atlanta in 2013, aged 73.

References

External links

Full discography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garvin, Rex 1940 births 2013 deaths American rhythm and blues singers Singers from New York (state) Northern soul musicians People from Harlem Musicians from the Bronx 20th-century African-American male singers