Marv Johnson

Marvin Earl Johnson (October 15, 1938 – May 16, 1993) was an American R&B and soul singer most notable for performing on the first record to ever come from Motown. Between 1959 and 1961, Johnson would issue nine Hot 100 singles including two top ten singles, "You Got What It Takes" and "I Love The Way You Love". He scored his final top 40 single in 1960 with "(You've Got To) Move Two Mountains" Johnson's early Motown-issued singles would be the precedent to the future sound and success of the label, which by the time Johnson began issuing his Motown records nationally in 1965, had become the biggest independent label in the world. After issuing his final Motown singles in 1968, Johnson remained with Motown working on sales and promotion throughout the 1970s. Johnson continued singing into the 1990s releasing a solo album on London-based Motor City Records. Johnson died of a stroke on May 16, 1993 in Columbia, South Carolina at the age of 54.