Marvin Sease
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Marvin Sease (February 16, 1946 - February 8, 2011) was an American blues/soul singer known for his racy lyrics.
Born in Blackville, South Carolina, Sease started as a gospel artist, joining a gospel group called the Five Gospel Crowns located in Charleston, South Carolina. After singing with them, Sease then left at age 20 for New York City. At this young age settling into New York, he then joined another gospel group called the Gospel Crowns. Having the deep preference for the musical style of R&B, Marvin left the gospel circuit to form his own R&B group. In this group Sease was accompanied by his own three brothers and named the backing band Sease. This band did not find popularity and eventually broke up. He did not quit performing musically, but began to cover songs that started a career with a recurring gig at the Brooklyn club Casablanca. Sease, however, desired his own success singing his own music and greater artistic freedom.
In 1986 he recorded a self titled L.P. featuring one of his more popular songs, "Ghetto Man". This started his current professional career with his fans in the South's circuit of bars, blues festivals, and juke joints. While promoting his self produced and publicized L.P. he entered a record contract with Polygram Records. With this contract, he was able to launch his music nationally with the re-release of his self titled L.P. on Mercury Records in 1987. This updated release of his previous material also included the new ten minute track "Candy Licker," which became an instant success for Sease through the South.
Success had finally came to Sease even without the help of radio airplay which deemed his sound too explicit for the audience. Over the next decade Sease would release several more records for Mercury and Jive Records, which ranked on the Billboard R&B chart and pop charts. Sease's success, however, has most notably been linked with his chart topping song "Candy Licker" and has ensured a strong female based following.
He is said to have a comparable sound to the likes of Johnnie Taylor and Tyrone Davis. Unfortunately, he has not been as commercially successful as these artists, but he has garnered a sizable cult following.
Sease died in Vicksburg, Mississippi on February 8, 2011, eight days before his 65th birthday.
- There is a poster depicting Marvin Sease in the movie Pretty in Pink.
