Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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RAINWATER, Marvin

(b Marvin Percy Rainwater, 2 July 1925, Wichita KS; d 17 September 2013, Minneapolis MN) Country singer and songwriter. Obits said his middle name was Karlton; another story was that his name was Marvin Percy and that Rainwater was his mother's name. The family moved frequently, and he said his mother took in washing so that he could study classical piano, but he lost part of his right thumb in a garage accident as a teenager, and switched to guitar. He studied veterinary surgery, and served in the U.S. Navy as a pharmacist's mate. While still in the Navy he was lonesome for music, he said, and began writing songs, which given that he grown up in Oklahoma, 'turned out to be hillbilly songs.' He wore Indian regalia on stage, though his daughter later said that he had no Indian heritage.

He joined Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee show '46, wrote songs covered by Teresa Brewer, Justin Tubb, Connie Francis; appeared on Arthur Godfrey's talent show with own song 'Gonna Find Me A Bluebird' and won a week on Godfrey's morning radio show; he also appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and on American Bandstand. Signed with MGM, 'Bluebird' was a top 20 pop, no. 3 country hit '57; subsequent hits were 'Whole Lotta Woman' and 'Half-Breed' '58-9, plus a duet 'Majesty Of Love' with Francis. Surgery on vocal cords took him out of circulation for a while; with his brother Ray he founded a glossy country magazine called Trail which failed; he recorded '60s on WB, UA, his own Brave label; toured the UK in 1971 for the first time in twelve years and found new fans. An album with London-based Country Fever had Albert Lee on guitar. He continued recording until the early 1980s and touring until 2011, but big-time fame eluded him.