Marva Whitney (born Marva Ann Manning in Kansas City, Kansas on May 1, 1944… Read Full Bio ↴Marva Whitney (born Marva Ann Manning in Kansas City, Kansas on May 1, 1944 - December 22, 2012) was an American soul/funk singer. She is considered by many funk enthusiasts to be one of the "rawest" and "brassiest" music divas.
Whitney's performing career started as early as three years old while touring with her family's gospel group, the Manning Gospel Singers. Singing with James Brown in the late 1960s, she was able to make a name for herself with powerful songs like "I'm Tired, I'm Tired, I'm Tired (Things Better Change Before It's Too Late)" and "If You Don't Work (You Can't Eat)." Her recording of "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)" reached the R&B Top 20. Her song "Unwind Yourself" has been sampled by numerous modern artists, including DJ Kool.
Although she's not a household name, Marva Whitney is fondly remembered by funk devotees as one of the rawest, brassiest, most powerful divas the music ever produced. Along with fellow funk belters Lyn Collins and Vicki Anderson, Whitney made her name singing with the James Brown Revue for a few years, and her limited, much-sampled recordings for Brown-associated labels now fetch astronomical sums on the collector's market. Born in Kansas City, Whitney began performing at the age of three with her family's touring gospel group, the Manning Gospel Singers. She studied music in college and caught on as lead singer of the R&B group Tommy Gadson & the Derbys. In 1967, she signed on with the James Brown Revue as a featured female vocalist, meaning that she would perform her own small set every night while Brown took a break. Whitney accompanied Brown on his late-'60s tour of Vietnam, and made other international appearances with him as well.
In 1969, Whitney made her first solo recordings for King, Brown's label at the time. She scored a Top 20 hit on the R&B charts with "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)," a rewrite of the Isley Brothers hit; the follow-up, "Things Got to Get Better (Get Together)," just missed the R&B Top 20. Far too gutsy and funky to cross over to the pop charts, Whitney remained with the Revue until 1970, without scoring any more significant hits on her own. Still, cuts like "Unwind Yourself" (now very recognizable through several hip-hop samples) and the duet "You Got to Have a Job (If You Don't Work)" helped cement her reputation among record collectors. Her only studio LP, It's My Thing, was released in 1969 and has been heavily bootlegged and sampled by numerous DJs; her Live and Lowdown at the Apollo LP also commands hefty price tags.
Whitney went on to record for the Isley Brothers' T-Neck label, as well as Nashboro, but her prime material is from the James Brown years. Seven of those tracks were compiled on the Polydor collection James Brown's Original Funky Divas. Whitney has reunited sporadically with Brown for live performances over the years.
In December 2009, Whitney collapsed on stage in front of thousands of fans in Lorne, Australia, while performing with The Transatlantics at Falls Festival. She was immediately rushed to Geelong Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a stroke. The remaining dates of her tour had to be canceled, but Whitney made a recovery and performed again in 2010.
In December 2012, Whitney died from complications of pneumonia at her home. She was 68.
Whitney's performing career started as early as three years old while touring with her family's gospel group, the Manning Gospel Singers. Singing with James Brown in the late 1960s, she was able to make a name for herself with powerful songs like "I'm Tired, I'm Tired, I'm Tired (Things Better Change Before It's Too Late)" and "If You Don't Work (You Can't Eat)." Her recording of "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)" reached the R&B Top 20. Her song "Unwind Yourself" has been sampled by numerous modern artists, including DJ Kool.
Although she's not a household name, Marva Whitney is fondly remembered by funk devotees as one of the rawest, brassiest, most powerful divas the music ever produced. Along with fellow funk belters Lyn Collins and Vicki Anderson, Whitney made her name singing with the James Brown Revue for a few years, and her limited, much-sampled recordings for Brown-associated labels now fetch astronomical sums on the collector's market. Born in Kansas City, Whitney began performing at the age of three with her family's touring gospel group, the Manning Gospel Singers. She studied music in college and caught on as lead singer of the R&B group Tommy Gadson & the Derbys. In 1967, she signed on with the James Brown Revue as a featured female vocalist, meaning that she would perform her own small set every night while Brown took a break. Whitney accompanied Brown on his late-'60s tour of Vietnam, and made other international appearances with him as well.
In 1969, Whitney made her first solo recordings for King, Brown's label at the time. She scored a Top 20 hit on the R&B charts with "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)," a rewrite of the Isley Brothers hit; the follow-up, "Things Got to Get Better (Get Together)," just missed the R&B Top 20. Far too gutsy and funky to cross over to the pop charts, Whitney remained with the Revue until 1970, without scoring any more significant hits on her own. Still, cuts like "Unwind Yourself" (now very recognizable through several hip-hop samples) and the duet "You Got to Have a Job (If You Don't Work)" helped cement her reputation among record collectors. Her only studio LP, It's My Thing, was released in 1969 and has been heavily bootlegged and sampled by numerous DJs; her Live and Lowdown at the Apollo LP also commands hefty price tags.
Whitney went on to record for the Isley Brothers' T-Neck label, as well as Nashboro, but her prime material is from the James Brown years. Seven of those tracks were compiled on the Polydor collection James Brown's Original Funky Divas. Whitney has reunited sporadically with Brown for live performances over the years.
In December 2009, Whitney collapsed on stage in front of thousands of fans in Lorne, Australia, while performing with The Transatlantics at Falls Festival. She was immediately rushed to Geelong Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a stroke. The remaining dates of her tour had to be canceled, but Whitney made a recovery and performed again in 2010.
In December 2012, Whitney died from complications of pneumonia at her home. She was 68.
What Kind of Man
Marva Whitney Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'What Kind of Man' by these artists:
2015 Fuelled Pop I was on a heavy tip Trying cross a canyon with…
Cerys Matthews what kind of man is this kind who can make me…
Chris Daniels & the Kings I’m a man of ambition - What kind of man…
Eric Bogle What kind of man is he, and which cause did…
Florence the Machine I was on a heavy tip Try'na cross a canyon with…
Florence the Machine/Musicfire.in I was on a heavy tip Try'na cross a canyon with…
Florence %2B the Machine I was on a heavy tip Trying to cross a canyon…
Florence + the Machine I was on a heavy tip Try'na cross a canyon with…
J. Knox Ayo, you see I got this little situation right You see…
K. Michelle Here I am You said you'd hear if I cry out Here…
M-Bass ピピピピピピカチュウ ピピピピピピジョン ピピピピピピクシー みんな大好き かえんほうしゃだヒトカゲ みずでっぽうだゼ…
Mary-Ann Brandon To be crucified or to be praised To tell the truth…
NADU I wont be around To cut the ribbon To open your heart Find…
NB Ridaz [intro] Yea, tell me what kind of man Would do the things…
Nexx Chapter ft. M-Bass ピピピピピピカチュウ ピピピピピピジョン ピピピピピピクシー みんな大好き かえんほうしゃだヒトカゲ みずでっぽうだゼ…
Peta Evans-Taylor What kind of man is this For whom the stars make…
Swedish House Mafia & Florence The Machine I was on a heavy tip Try'na cross a canyon with…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Marva Whitney:
I It's my thing I can do what I wanna do You can't…
I Am What I Am Pt. 1 & Pt. 2 It's my thing I can do what I wanna do You can't…
It's Her Thing It's my thing I can do what I wanna do You can't…
It's My Thing It's my thing I can do what I wanna do You can't…
It's My Thing Part 1 It's my thing I can do what I wanna do You can't…
Its My Thing It's my thing I can do what I wanna do You can't…
Unwind Yourself Unwind yourself Come on and turn that soul loose Come on bab…
What Do I Have to Do to Prove My Love to You What do I have to do To prove my love for…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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