Marva King, Soul Music 2010http://www.soulmusic.com/index.asp?S=1&T=38&ART=1221MK: Well, it was just abrupt in his mind, because I hadn’t even been with him long. I had been with him about 9 months. I think he had made plans for me to be there for a little while. As a matter of fact, he was recording with me, but I know for Stevie, it takes forever to get around, so I said, “I don’t know when this is going to happen.” I was the one who he wrote this song for me and I recorded it. “Looking in my mirror. Took me by surprise” (singing).
JK: Oh wow! ‘I Can’t Help It.’
MK: Yes, he wrote that for me. He wrote 2 songs for me that were absolutely beautiful. The other one, I’ve never heard that one, but after I left, he gave it to Michael. “Ask Stevie if he’ll give you that song” but he didn’t, he gave it to Michael. I’m glad, still, that he wrote it for me. I can still say that.
JK: Let’s take it back just a little bit, to give listeners an idea of where you’ve been, because you have done a lot of stuff over the years. Was there every any question that music was what you wanted to do as a profession?
MK: No, because I was in it for so long. Like I said, everything around me was pretty much music. I already knew that’s what I wanted to do. By 10, I remember saying that I’m going to meet Michael Jackson, I’m going to be around Stevie Wonder, and my cousin is like, “Yeah, okay”. I said that to her. As a matter of fact, I bet her. I said, “I’ll bet you $10,000 I’m going to be writing with all of them. I’m going to be friends with them.” She said, “okay.” Six years later, I was packing up in Michigan, and heading down to California. Stevie was my first job.
JK: It’s interesting, all the stories from artists that I hear, about record deals gone bad, so I’m glad that you’re doing your own thing now and finding new ways to do it, because you’re able to get your product out a lot quicker, and do your own thing. Tell me about your association with Michael Jackson, because somewhere in there, you recorded with him on the Bad album. How did that come about, and what was that association like for you?
MK: Well, it’s funny. Of course I met Jermaine first, then I ended up meeting Marlon, and I worked with Marlon Jackson in New York on this artist named Betty Wright; he produced her record. From there, I ended up meeting their entire family, all of them. I would go and do sessions sometimes for Tito, and Jackie, and as a vocalist, they were just passing me around. “You gotta use Marva!” “No, I want to use Marva!” It was fun! I got to work with all the Jacksons! Then, I met Michael. One day I was invited to the studio and I met Michael. I was like, “Oh my God! I’m here with Michael Jackson!” and then my childhood thoughts and dreams just went through my head and Michael was admiring this beautiful waist top that I had. It had so many different panels of lace and he said, “It’s so beautiful!” He kept walking around me, and I froze! I couldn’t even talk. I think I’m star struck! I did pretty good until I got to him, because I had a crush on him as a kid. Oh my goodness, I’m like, “Michael Jackson is admiring me!” It’s so funny. We ended up getting to know each other. It took a while, because he had a lot of security and stuff, like, “What does she want?” and “Why is she really around?” You know, they watched me for a while.
They studied me religiously, but then they learned, “Okay, she’s not so crazy and she doesn’t have any other motive, except she wants to work and she’s friends with Michael.” Michael ended up taking to me, so I ended up becoming one of his playmates. We had too much fun! We were two young adults that were real childish, but we had so much fun! I would travel with him sometimes, and we would torture the press, we would hide and do things (laughs) and just have a lot of fun.
He wanted me to sing on some records, and I ended up doing the song “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” that he did with Siedah Garrett. Well, Michael put me on the record, I recorded that, and I was so excited, and I came back to the studio 3 days later and Quincy had taken it off and put Siedah on there.
JK: So you had done the lead part originally?
MK: Yes. So, I just ended up being in some of the background.
JK: So you had done the lead part originally?
MK: Yes. So, I just ended up being in some of the background.
JK: So, you were on the backgrounds on the record, right?
MK: Right. We did backgrounds. Because it was such a political situation going on at that time, some kind of way I wasn’t listed. Stuff happened with me on a few projects like Whitney Houston, her first record, I did several songs on there, but my name did not appear. That hurt.
JK: Why do you think the reason was for that?
MK: I know why, because the group of people that worked on a regular basis and still does, see here’s how you work: it’s credit. When you become a backup singer, or an artist that works on big mega-products, then people read the credits and of course you just get automatic calls for a lot of work. So, these were all family members, and actually they were told to replace one family member, so I was brought in to sing, but that person’sname still appeared on the record, instead of mine. I was really upset. I was like, “Oh My God! You’re kidding!” and of course the record went through the roof.
Subject: 1985–1987 Marva King 
Thu May 03, 2012 10:11 am
