Biography
The Marvels distinguished themselves through a doo-wop lens on reggae. All three vocalists originated in Jamaica and had each accumulated prior studio experience. Dissatisfied with remaining in the background, they pooled their abilities and launched the group in 1964, consisting of Alex ‘Dimples’ Hinds, Nell Hinds and Eddie Smith. In that configuration they supplied harmonies on Prince Buster’s “Wash Wash,” which appeared in the pioneering Jamaican music film This Is Ska and was later reworked in 1994 by Lovindeer with more explicit lyrics. Throughout the sixties the trio issued several tracks that registered modestly on the charts, among them “Tell All Those Girls,” “Saturday” and “Fleet Street.” Additional voices, including Jackie Edwards and Hazel McCauley, augmented the lineup during cabaret engagements that took the singers across Europe and the Far East, where they also interpreted the Platters’ “The Great Pretender” and the traditional “Old Man River.”
Early in the following decade they cut a version of Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” for Pama Records’ Supreme imprint, scoring their greatest commercial success. That breakthrough brought them to the attention of Dandy Livingstone, who enlisted them for his own sessions and issued several sides via his Shady Tree imprint; their support vocals featured on Dandy’s “Suzanne Beware Of The Devil” when he appeared on Top Of The Pops, and their photograph adorned the sleeve of the Pama anthology This Is Reggae Volume Three. Further covers yielded 1972’s “Then He Kissed Me” and the gospel-tinged 1973 single “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.” A disco-tinted effort, “Get On Your Feet,” failed to connect in 1974. The next year Dimples Hinds ventured out alone and notched a club favorite with his rendition of “Why Don’t You Do Right.”
Unable to duplicate the impact of “Rock Steady,” the original trio nonetheless attracted the interest of Gull, a Decca subsidiary, which released the moderate 1976 hit “Lovers Concerto.” In the latter half of the decade they joined Roy Alton, Tim Chandell, Dandy Livingstone and the Immigrants for a European tour spotlighting sentimental reggae. Dimples subsequently built a solo catalog in that same style, often labeled big peoples music. The three members reunited on the reactivated Pama label in 1983 and achieved another reggae success with “Heaven Must Have Sent You,” while Dimples has continued to release sentimental reggae material under the big peoples music banner.
Early in the following decade they cut a version of Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” for Pama Records’ Supreme imprint, scoring their greatest commercial success. That breakthrough brought them to the attention of Dandy Livingstone, who enlisted them for his own sessions and issued several sides via his Shady Tree imprint; their support vocals featured on Dandy’s “Suzanne Beware Of The Devil” when he appeared on Top Of The Pops, and their photograph adorned the sleeve of the Pama anthology This Is Reggae Volume Three. Further covers yielded 1972’s “Then He Kissed Me” and the gospel-tinged 1973 single “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.” A disco-tinted effort, “Get On Your Feet,” failed to connect in 1974. The next year Dimples Hinds ventured out alone and notched a club favorite with his rendition of “Why Don’t You Do Right.”
Unable to duplicate the impact of “Rock Steady,” the original trio nonetheless attracted the interest of Gull, a Decca subsidiary, which released the moderate 1976 hit “Lovers Concerto.” In the latter half of the decade they joined Roy Alton, Tim Chandell, Dandy Livingstone and the Immigrants for a European tour spotlighting sentimental reggae. Dimples subsequently built a solo catalog in that same style, often labeled big peoples music. The three members reunited on the reactivated Pama label in 1983 and achieved another reggae success with “Heaven Must Have Sent You,” while Dimples has continued to release sentimental reggae material under the big peoples music banner.
Albums
Singles
