I Am What I Am - Music

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. read less