Marvell Thomas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Marvell Thomas is an American keyboardist known for his work in Memphis Soul and son of the man dubbed "Memphis's other King", Rufus Thomas. His sister Carla Thomas was once known as the Queen of Soul after her breakthrough hit "Gee Whiz."^[1]

Marvell's career started at a very young age. He was the first piano player to punch the clock at Stax Records. He played on the label's earliest national hits, including "Burnt Biscuits" (By the short-lived group The Triumphs, later covered by Booker T. & the MGs), childhood friend William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water", and the company's very first hit "Cause I Love You" (featuring a sixteen-year-old Booker T. Jones on saxophone) by Rufus and Carla. He also played on some of the legendary Stax sessions with Wilson Pickett.

With the departure of Booker T. to pursue projects in California, and the emergence of Isaac Hayes as a solo star, Thomas worked more and more frequently, appearing on albums by Johnnie Taylor, The Staple Singers, Little Milton, and Hayes himself.