Das Phänomen MARVIN SEASE
wird vielleicht am besten beschrieben im folgenden kurzen Biografie-Zitat von "All
Music Guide", verfasst von Steve Huey:
"Despite a lack of attention from most print sources and
other common avenues of publicity in the blues world, Marvin Sease has turned his smooth,
X-rated ladies' man persona into a cottage industry complete with merchandising in the
Deep South. Sease straddles the line between blues and gospel-drenched soul, much like
fellow Southern singers Johnnie Taylor and Tyrone Davis, but his often racy lyrics and
concert performances, coupled with the advantages of major-label distribution, have
ensured Sease a strong following, particularly among female fans enamored of his signature
song and breakthrough jukebox hit, the provocative, innuendo-laced "Candy
Licker". Born in Blackville, S.C., Sease got his start by joining a gospel group in
nearby Charleston called the Five Gospel Singers, and moved to New York at age
20, where he joined another gospel group called the Gospel Crowns. Preferring
R&B, though, Sease put together a backing band (called "Sease") featuring
his three brothers. When this venture failed, Sease began singing to pre-recorded backing
tracks at local dances and clubs, self-released several 45s, and eventually scored a
regular gig at a Brooklyn nightspot called the Casablanca. Gunning for greater success,
Sease recorded a self-titled LP in 1986 featuring one of his most popular songs,
"Ghetto Man", and began working the South's so-called chitlin circuit of ghetto
bars, rural juke joints, and blues festivals. While shopping the LP, released on his own
Early label, to record stores, Sease stumbled upon a contact who eventually got him a deal
with Polygram, which re-released the LP on London/Mercury in 1987 with the addition of the
newly recorded, ten-minute track "Candy Licker". "Candy Licker" became
an underground success on jukeboxes across the South; it was too explicit for radio
airplay, but audiences — especially female ones — flocked to see Sease in
concert. Over the next ten years, Sease recorded a string of albums for London/Mercury (Breakfast,
1987; The Real Deal, 1989; Show Me What You Got, 1991) and the New
York-based Jive (The Housekeeper, 1993; Do You Need a Licker?, 1994; Please
Take Me, 1996) that sold consistently well, although none have yet matched the
performance of Marvin Sease, which hit number 14 on Billboard's R&B chart and
number 114 on the pop chart. Several more releases were issued before the '90s came to a
close: Bitch Git It All (1997), Hoochie Momma (1999). Women Would
Rather Be Licked was issued in early 2001." |
