Hank Marr was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1927. After a stint in the army where he played keyboards he went into the music biz, playing the Hammond Organ. From the early to late 50's, he was a member of the Rusty Bryant And The Carolyn Club Band (recorded for Dot) / Rusty Bryant Quintet. He had gone out as leader of his own trio by 1957 and landed a recording contract with Federal / King Records of Cincinnati, Ohio. He had a hit 45 in 1961, "Tonk Game" -- this has gone on to be regarded as a jazz / R&B classic. He was kept busy playing live gigs right across the US, from the Canadian border right down to Florida. Two further hit 45's followed,; "The Greasy Spoon" (1964) and "Silver Spoon" (1965). Both of these songs were written in conjunction with Gene Redd, & Gene seemed to remain as a close associate with Marr for a number of years. Federal (likewise King), put very few credits on their 45 labels, so whether Redd was producing / arranging on Marr's studio sessions isn't fully documented. However Redd wrote the sleeve notes for Marr's 1968 King LP and in these stated .. after the session was over & the album was recorded I talked with Hank ... I'd think Redd was in charge on this (& other) of Marr's studio sessions. Certainly Redd was working with Marr writing songs & in the studio right through the 1960's (from at least as early as 64).

In between Marr's releases on Federal (King for his albums) which ended in 1966 and his later stint on Federal / King (which commenced in 67/68), he had a couple of 45's out on Wingate Records. The first of these was the A side of WG 011 "Hank's Groove" (the other side featured Sonny Stitt doing a Ronnie Savoy / J Jackson song -- Jackson also co-wrote Marr's tune). His 2nd Wingate 45 featured his own song "The Out Crowd" (WG 012). The matrix numbers on these 3 tracks run concurrently, so they were most probably recorded at the same session (along with Stitt's cut). Stitt had been with Argo / Cadet label in 1965, but had enjoyed a Wingate 45 release earlier (September 65). But it seems both guys stint with Wingate / Golden World was very short (Stitt having releases on Prestige / Colpix / Roulette from early 66). HOWEVER Marr's recordings @ Golden World coincided with Gene Redd's time with the organisation, so most probably it was Gene that had taken Marr to Detroit. His 2 Wingate 45's being released in early 1966, I'd guess they were cut in late 65.

By 1967 Marr was back on Federal with his cut "Philly Dog 67". But before that he'd taken a trip across the pond to perform in Europe. His Euro tour had followed on from live gigs @ the Ritz Bar, Youngstown, Ohio in June 66. So his latest recorded outing when he headed over the Atlantic would have been "The Out Crowd", so I'd guess he would have performed the number in his live shows. A Golden World / Wingate artist in Europe playing his Detroit recording in summer 66 ... WHO KNEW !!!

In 1968, he had his King album 'Sounds From The Marr-ket Place' out & this featured the fine track "Come & Get It". This was the LP Gene Redd wrote the sleeve notes for (he also wrote songs featured on the album). Anyway, Gene had gone off back to New York, hooked up again with the local jazz group he'd been mentoring & developed them into a recording act (Kool & the Gang). Marr continued on with his career but had grown weary of one night stand bookings. So he hooked up with comedian / singer George Kirby and took charge of his backing band. George was mainly being booked into comedy club venues for week long stints & this life suited Hank Marr much better. He stayed with Kirby for 9 years, featuring with him in a 1971 TV show recorded in Canada. Hank drifted back onto the jazz scene & in later life would play gigs around his home bases in Youngstown / Columbus. In fact he was still performing just weeks ahead of his death in 2004.

A FEW QUESTIONS ... I'm no Detroit soul expert -- is much known about Marr's spell with Wingate ?

... has it been confirmed that it was Gene Redd that got Hank his Wingate deal ?

... who played on his Detroit sessions -- he had his own band at the time but it may well have been Golden World / Detroit jazz guys who assisted him on the sessions (I don't have Robb's expert ear) ?

... why was his & Stitt's time with Wingate so short ?

Edited October 12Oct 12 by Roburt

When he was leading his own groups, Hank got to play all the top black venues, these including Carr's Beach outside Baltimore (1958). He had begun his music career by performing with the Sammy Hopkins Trio in the 1940s and soon after joined Rusty Bryant's band. In the mid 1950s, he started playing at the Little Belmont club in Atlantic City. He would return to Atlantic City to do a stint as a resident musician (along with Floyd Smith) in the late 60's. Also during the 1960s and then into the 1970s, he performed in Las Vegas, plus on TV - "The Johnny Carson Show", "The Mike Douglas Show", "The Merv Griffin Show".

Of course, Floyd Smith would go on to work for the likes of Dakar /Brunswick Records in Chicago for which he recorded a few singles. He also produced singers such as Loleatta Holloway (Aware Records) & John Edwards,

Anyone know if Hank had any UK gigs during his 1966 European tour ?

Edited October 12Oct 12 by Roburt

On't net it says ... Hank's tracks were played at the Blue Note Club in Manchester by Roger Eagle ... ... anyone know which ones ?

Lots of his cuts certainly had a jazzy R&B feel to them, many having a sort of Booker T & the MG's vibe ... so I can see why Roger Eagle would have been a fan ...

Edited October 12Oct 12 by Roburt

It seems that the Canadian made George Kirby TV special was popular, so a whole series by him was commissioned (featuring lots of top guests). I guess Hank Marr led the orchestra for George (& his guests) on all the later shows too ....

FROM Sept 72 > Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour
Nancy Wilson
Nancy sings "If I Were Your Woman". George does "L-O-V-E".
George & Nancy duet with "I Got Love". All join in for "Oh, Happy Day".

Della Reese.
Della sings "Let It Go". Other songs: "Walk Right In," "Every Day I Have the Blues," "Heaven Help Us."
Stanley Myron Handelman.
Songs include "Put Your Hand in the Hand" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy."
Corbett Monica.
"Everything Is Beautiful," "Close to You" and "Save the Country."

Hines, Hines and Dad.
Songs include "Celebrate," "Swamp Beat," "Green Grass of Home."
Gloria Loring.
Gloria sings "Everything I Own". All join in for "What's Going On".
Teresa Graves.
"Until the Real Thing Comes Along," "Candy Man," "Everybody's Talkin'."
Della Reese
Della sings "Cabaret". Other songs include "I Believe in Music," "I Almost Lost My Mind," "You've Got a Friend."
Freda Payne.
"Let It Be," "Let the Good Times Roll."

Della Reese
Della sings "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and joins George for a duet.

Barbara Sharma
Songs include, "Proud Mary" and "It's Never Too Late to Fall in Love".
Pat Paulsen
Songs include "Misty," "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" and "Turn Around."
Alan Drake and Dianne Brooks.
Dianne sings "Lush Life". George sings "Dock of the Bay".
Bill Cosby and Mike Douglas.
George sings "Cabaret" and "Got to Do Wrong."

. . . It looks like some of the footage has survived ... George's appearance on a Temptations TV special has too.

AI told me that it was NOT Clarence (Gene) Redd, Sr. that brought Hank Marr and Sonny Stitt to Ed Wingate's Detroit record company, as he was still working as A&R Man for King Records; but rather, it was his son, Gene Redd, Jr. who arranged that deal, as HE was the one who worked with Soul Music at that time, and already had the connection with Wingate. So it seems that Redd, Jr. met Hank Marr at King/Federal, through his father's having been Marr's producer.

Redd Sr. had been a Trumpet and Vibes player with Cootie Williams' Band starting in the early 1940s, and Earl Bostic's band in the late 1940s and beginning of the 1950s (who had recorded for King Records). He became a chief Jazz and R&B producer and A&R Man for KIng/Federal/DeLuxe Records in the early 1950s.

Redd Jr. must have met Stitt through Hank Marr, as I don't recall Stitt having ever recorded for King. But this is not absolutely certain, as the AI program has made guesses using perfect mathematical logic and ALL the "evidence" available on The Internet, to infer the best logical conclusion, and IF it deems that the amount of that "evidence" is overwhelming that the odds are extremely in favour of the logical conclusion being "true", it will come to a conclusion that is actually only an educated guess. I gave AI the leading information about Gene Redd, Sr. and Gene Redd, Jr, to guide them towards finding out the answer to my question of which of those 2 men brought Hank Marr and Sonny Stitt to Ed Wingate's Detroit record company, and so, got their answer couched by my question's lead. They inferred that it had to be Redd, Jr., because Wingate produced Soul Music in 1965-66, and Redd, Sr. was stillb A&R Man at King at that time (which may or not have been true (but THAT "fact" might also been inferred, because the information of when Redd, Sr, stopped working for King might not have been easily available on The Internet. I have caught AI being wrong several times when it had to take a best guess based on what it considered enough (overwhelming) evidence to come to that logical conclusion. The only way we can know for sure is to see official documentation, or testimony from someone who was involved, or present at the time, or was told by someone involved, and that is also corroborated by another person told the same.

Excellent info! Thanks, Roburt. One point of clarification on your original post:

8 hours ago, Roburt said:

The first of these was the A side of WG 011 "Hank's Groove" (the other side featured Sonny Stitt doing a Ronnie Savoy / J Jackson song -- Jackson also co-wrote Marr's tune).

The single you refer to, Marr's Groove/Stitt's Groove, has the same backing track on both sides (performed by, I assume, some of the Funk Brothers) with lead keyboards overdubbed on Marr's side and lead saxophone overdubbed on Stitt's side.

5 minutes ago, Weingarden said:

Excellent info! Thanks, Roburt. One point of clarification on your original post:

The single you refer to, Marr's Groove/Stitt's Groove, has the same backing track on both sides (performed by, I assume, some of the Funk Brothers) with lead keyboards overdubbed on Marr's side and lead saxophone overdubbed on Stitt's side.

WEIRD. Wonder why each tune has different writers listed then ... I guess that had to be to cover the organ / sax work added to the backing track on each.

Robb, thanks for your input too. Always of great help.

I didn't realise that it was Redd Snr who worked with Marr @ Federal King & just assumed it was Redd Jnr who worked with him at both King & Wingate. So the Gene Redd who wrote the sleeve notes to Marr's 68 LP must have been Redd Snr too.

Do you think it's the Funk Bros on Marr's "Marr Groove" or the Golden World guys or Marr's own trio ?

3 hours ago, Roburt said:

Robb, thanks for your input too. Always of great help.

I didn't realise that it was Redd Snr who worked with Marr @ Federal King & just assumed it was Redd Jnr who worked with him at both King & Wingate. (1) So the Gene Redd who wrote the sleeve notes to Marr's 68 LP must have been Redd Snr too.

(2) Do you think it's the Funk Bros on Marr's "Marr Groove" or the Golden World guys or Marr's own trio ?

(1) That was an LP including 10 cuts from 1964, and the rest from earlier. I'm sure that Marr was not working for King in 1968, after Syd Nathan had passed away. I don't think Gene Redd, Sr. was working for King, anymore in 1968. I believe that was an LP Redd had planned to issue in 1964, but it got aborted. More than likely, IF Redd, Sr. had written the sleeve notes, they were written in 1964. If they were written in 1968, King's project manager for that LP issue could have hired either Redd, Sr. OR Redd, Jr. to write them, as a friendly gesture, or because they each knew and had previously worked with Marr.

(2) I have no doubt that at least some of Motown's Funk Brothers played on the background instrumentals behind the organ playing of Marr, and Sax playing of Stitt. The entire group of Funk Brothers at Motown at any time, almost never moonlighted at the same time at Golden World or anywhere else. The Funk Brothers rarely all moonlighted the same night, jumped in a truck or bus, and drove to a rival recording studio and made up all the players on a rival Soul record company's session, like they did when they drove to Chicago to play on Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher". Generally, at Golden World for Ed Wingate, the players on any one session were a mixture of a few moonlighting Funk Brothers, and a few ex-Motown musicians, and/or current free-lancers who still play on some Motown sessions, but weren't Motown employees on regular salary (but rather, were paid by the session), and any others were regular Detroit session players who would later record sporadically for Motown and most of the other Detroit Soul labels.

In this case, the background musician tracks behind both Marr and Stitt sound exactly the same. So, it seems that Marr's organ part and Stitt's sax part were recorded alone, and were tracked over the Wingate players' tracks.