Marvin was an early recording artist, starting in 1924 and covering a twenty year period for many record labels.
Born in the Oklahoma Territory in 1897, Marvin ran away from home at age 16. He served in the US Navy during World War 1. After returning home, he went on the road as a vaudeville performer.
WIKIPEDIA
His first solo ukulele recording was in 1924, the song called "You know me Alabam" was recorded on the Radiex label using Johnny Marvin as his recording name. Marvin was an early adapter of the Martin Tiple style ukulele. It is probable that he was introduced to the new instrument due to a factory visit to the Martin factory in 1922. He was unsuccessful in obtaining an endorsement deal with Martin, who limited their support to a 20% discount for all performers. Marvin recorded 49 records for Victor Records from 1926 to 1930. His contract with Victor was not an exclusive one; he did performances and recordings under a large number of names with a variety of labels. (See Wikipedia bio).
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