Junior Marvin might not have been with Bob Marley at the beginning of his legendary career, but he was there for its height and the reggae icon’s untimely end. But before that, Marvin – born Donald Hanson Marvin Kerr Richards Jr – was a dyed-in-the-wool Beatles and Jimi Hendrix fan, who had renounced an early education in classical piano and formed an obsession with British rock. This led him into a hearty session career before forming his band, Hanson.
Hanson didn’t stick, but Marvin’s reputation as a capable six-stringer did, leading to an unexpected call from Stevie Wonder on Valentine’s Day 1977. This turned out to be the very same day he was set to match wits in person with Bob Marley, leading to his initiation into The Wailers and contributing to some of Marley’s most well-known records: Exodus, Kaya and Survival in the late 70s, and early 80s records Uprising and Confrontation, the last of which was released after Marley’s death in 1981.
Marvin has accomplished a lot in his career, but it’s his time alongside Marley that means the most, even though some of his former bandmates – and Marley cohorts – seem to throw shade the fallen vocalist’s way. “The funny thing is, if you ask me about this stuff, the answers just come out as they do because it’s the truth,” Marvin tells . As for what Bob Marley meant to him, Marvin is emphatic, saying: “Bob was a workaholic to the man, but it was good for all of us. We got into the same mode and never had to think about it. We just did it. And
