Marcus King is a talented country-blues music star. But what’s the real truth about his dad, Marvin King?
Inside sources have known about this for years. Marvin is just as talented on guitar as his son, Marcus. So does that make Marcus a nepo baby?
It seems like Marvin did know that Marcus was destined for fame. He even got impatient that it wasn’t happening quickly.
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Whiskey Riff reported that Marcus brought his dad on stage during a performance in Raleigh, North Carolina, back in February 2022. They wrote, “When it is Marvin’s turn, he leaves it all on the stage… it is unreal.” They claimed that Marcus “learned from a master.”
When you hear that, it sounds like Marvin’s fame helped pave the way for Marcus. Did Marvin do much more for his son’s career than just teach Marcus to play guitar?
Marvin is a local celebrity around Greenville, South Carolina, and he’s toured around the country playing guitar. The Greenville Journal even wrote a glowing article titled “Long Live the King…” and they meant Marvin, the “father of blues phenom Marcus King.”
Marcus Played the Guitar Solos on “Huge in Europe”
But Marvin set the record straight with the Greenville Journal. He made it clear that Marcus is “quite surreal” on guitar, and when Marvin started teaching Marcus, something unbelievable happened.
When Marcus was younger, Marvin said he would show his son one song, for example, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” Marvin said he played the recording and showed Marcus how to play the song. Then Marvin went to work.
Later, when he got home, Marvin said that Marcus had told him, “I’ve got that record down, Dad.” Marvin said he corrected Marcus and told him, “You mean… I’ve got that song” down.
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But as Marcus showed his dad, he meant the entire Lynyrd Skynyrd album. Marvin told the Greenville Journal, “Oh my God, he learned all the songs on that record in one day!”
Marvin has recorded original material on two albums: “The Calling” and “Huge in Europe.” He said he plays “mini-tribute sets” to Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Rolling Stones when he performs live.
Marvin has made a crazy confession about how talented Marcus is on guitar. When recording his album “Huge in Europe,” Marvin brought Marcus into the studio to record guitar solos. Marvin called it “a humbling experience” for a reason you might not believe!
Because Marcus was only 11 years old when he played guitar solos on “Huge in Europe,” and Marcus was so shockingly good that Marvin had to indicate Marcus’s guitar solos on the album, so fans knew it was actually Marcus playing—not his dad. It’s also crazy how Marvin admitted that “Huge in Europe” began selling more copies after people found out that a pre-teen Marcus had done guitar solos on it, and Marvin confessed, “I was so proud.”
Marcus Started Singing After a Devastating Loss
While Marcus started playing guitar around eight years old, he told American Songwriter that he didn’t find his voice until “around the time I was 13… that’s when I started singing.” Marcus found his voice at that age for a sad reason. American Songwriter wrote that he was “dealt a particularly difficult loss” at 13.
He told American Songwriter, “This girl I went to school with, she passed away in a car accident.” Marcus confessed, “I really liked this girl. She was a dear friend of mine.”
As Marcus explained, he never got to tell the young girl how he felt about her, and he confessed, “That was a crushing moment for me.” The only way he could express himself was through music, but this time, Marcus realized that he needed to do more than play his guitar.
Marcus told American Songwriter that his guitar would always help him deal with anything, and playing guitar used to help him deal with pain when he was a kid. But after his young friend passed away, Marcus discovered that his guitar “wasn’t cutting it” anymore.
He said, “I figured I’d start singing and writing. And it helped.”
But music couldn’t even help Marvin or Marcus during COVID. Marvin confessed that he got depressed during the shutdowns, and Marvin said that Marcus “was selling out 5,000-set rooms, then everything came to a screeching halt.”
Marvin was 68 years old then and needed “to be playing all the time to keep my chops up.” After the gigs started to pick up again, Marvin said, “That makes me happy. It helps me get my groove back.”
Marcus Was Playing in Bars By Age 13
Several years ago, when Marcus started making it big in Music City, Marvin was interviewed by Pat Foley, the artist relations representative for Orange Amps in Nashville. Pat and Marvin had a revealing discussion about Marcus’s “phenomenal success,” but Marvin thought that Marcus should be even more successful than he already was.
Marvin told Pat, “I think if this were the 70s or 80s,” Marcus would “already be all over the radio.” Later in the interview, Marvin talked about Marcus playing in a South Carolina bar when “he was only about 13.”
Marvin confessed that Marcus had to have Xs drawn on both of his hands because he was playing guitar in South Carolina bars when he was underage. Marvin admitted, “He wasn’t supposed to be in there, that’s for sure. In South Carolina, you have to be 21” to get in bars.
Pat also asked Marvin about his dad, Marcus’s grandfather, who was in the Air Force in the 1950s. Marvin said his dad met his mom in Germany, and they got married.
When Marvin’s dad and mom moved back to the States, his dad started a country band, where he played the fiddle, and Marvin’s dad also played Chuck Berry songs on guitar. Marvin also revealed, “My dad’s father and my grandfather’s father were all fiddlers and my grandmother played acoustic guitar.”
Marvin added, “Dad had it in his blood. Now I have it in my blood and Marcus in his blood. We can’t even help it… we come out of the womb looking for something to play.”
Marcus Always Knew That Music Was the Path for Him
Marcus was interviewed by The Washington Post when he was just 20 years old. He admitted, “When I was really young, I didn’t have any friends around the neighborhood.”
But don’t feel sad for Marcus! After school, he sat and played his guitar. Marcus said, “It never really felt like practice — I just wanted to do it.”
He never felt alone on the afternoons he gathered with his extended family to “jam on string instruments and sing gospel songs” on his great-grandfather’s front porch. Marcus called that “just such a joy.”
He also knew that he’d be doing music as his career. Marcus dropped out of high school in his junior year, but he did get his GED.
He told the Post, “I never really had a doubt in my mind. I always knew music was going to be the sole purpose in life for me.”
It only took six days for Marcus and his studio band to record his second album, and the track “Hard Working Man” is like a dedication to his family of musicians. Marcus told American Songwriter, “Whenever I’m playing, I think of my grandfather. I think that track would make him proud to know that I see the importance of being a hard-working citizen.”
