Marvin & Johnny
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Marvin Phillips (born October 23rd, 1931 in Guthrie, Oklahoma) and Emory "Johnny" Perry (born March 1st, 1928 in Sherman, Texas) were the crooning duo on a classic early doo-wop single entitled 'Cherry Pie'. Their impact on music industry occurred in 1954 when Los Angeles was a major center of the R&B recording market. The pair had become acquainted in 1949 when they were saxophonists for the Richard Lewis Band.
Perry wasn't the only 'Johnny' to work with Marvin, though. "Johnny" was a cover name for several different performers. The first was Carl Green and the steadiest in the role was Perry. As Phillips put it, Emory was "my main Johnny". Marvin Phillips also paired with the famous R&B singer Jesse Belvin. They charted with "Dream Girl' b/w 'Daddy Loves Baby' in late 1952. "Dream Girl" got good airplay and sales in California, but Belvin had opportunities elsewhere and left Marvin to pursue a solo career. Phillips was left to find another partner.
This is when he hooked up with Carl 'Johnny' Green who had been working as a duo recording as Johnny & Mack for DeLuxe Records. Marvin & Johnny recorded 'Baby Doll' b/w 'I'm Not Your Fool' for Specialty Records in the summer of 1953. The new duo was well received. At the same time, Marvin Phillips recorded a single 'Sweetheart Darling' for Swingtime Records. The next outing for the duo was 'Jo Jo' b/w 'How Long She Been Gone' in early 1954. 'School of Love' b/w 'Boy Loves Girl' was their next release, but neither release was as impressive as their first single.
On July 13th, 1954, the pair signed with the Bihari brothers and moved to the Modern Records label. At Modern, they recorded their biggest and most lasting titles 'Tick Tock' and 'Cherry Pie'. The record was huge as both sides got airplay and 'Cherry Pie' proved to be an infectious and wordless melody that has been copied by many over the years. As was commonplace among the early doo-wop classics, part of its popularity rests with the an innocent yet double-entendre lyric.
After 'Cherry Pie' hit it big, the pair performed on shows and reviews that traveled around the west coast. Unfortunately, following up a monster hit like 'Cherry Pie' was not easy. They released 'Day In-Day Out' b/w 'Flip' and then 'Kiss Me' b/w 'Sugar'. Another single 'Little Honey' b/w 'Honey Girl' was released. All of these were credible efforts, but none were in the same league as 'Cherry Pie'.
It should be noted that aside from their doo-wop lineage, Marvin and Johnny were significant figures in the transition from West Coast jump blues to hotter sax-driven R&B sides that began to approach Rock 'n' Roll.
In 1955, Marvin & Johnny continued to do personal appearances and recorded singles. However, their appeal continued to be based on 'Cherry Pie'. They went their separate ways that year, but Marvin did not let the 'Marvin & Johnny' name die. Jesse Belvin had received his discharge from the army by this time and he rejoined Phillips to keep the 'Marvin & Johnny' name going. It got a little bit strange as Jesse often sang at personal appearances with Marvin as 'Marvin and Johnny' and then would sing under his own name in the same appearance.
In July of 1956, Marvin and Jesse broke up again as Phillips began to solo as 'Long Tall Marvin'. Aladdin Records released 'My Dear My Darling' in September and credited it to Marvin & Johnny. In May of 1958, an old Marvin & Johnny number was released. It was 'Yak Yak' b/w 'Pretty Eyes' and released on Aladdin.
This was the official end to the recording career of Marvin and Johnny.
Marvin and Johnny proved to be one the most popular duos in the R&B field. 'Cherry Pie' was their defining moment. Unfortunately, they never had a truly 'nationwide' audience. They were a west coast attraction and were never as well known in the east. Because they never got that 'eastern' exposure, Marvin and Johnny remain underappreciated for their accomplishment in developing the doo-wop sound of the 1950's.
