Across his prolific career, Junior Marvin has played with the likes of Steve Winwood, Toots & the Maytals and Lenny Kravitz. However, he’s perhaps most recognised for the role he held as player for the late Bob Marley. As it happens, when Marley was first seeking Marvin’s services in the late ‘70s, the guitarist had already been approached by Stevie Wonder, who offered him a lucrative deal to join his band.
Despite the fact the life-changing Wonder offer would have made him a household name – and secured him musical employment for a decade – Marvin ultimately turned him down in favor of joining Marley’s band. Marvin reflects on this pivotal moment in his career in the new issue of , and recalls how his work with Steve Winwood helped put him on the radar of producer Chris Blackwell, who planned to put him in a room with Marley. Before that happened, though, Wonder came calling – and he came calling with a life-altering deal.
“So it’s Valentine’s Day in 1977 and I’m in England again as I was taking time off from playing. Just before Chris picks me up, I get a call from Stevie Wonder at my house,” Marvin says. “Stevie’s guitarist couldn’t do the tour, so Stevie needed a guitarist.
“Stevie had heard I was a good player and might be interested, which I would have been as I’m a big Stevie Wonder fan. But when I picked up the phone, I said, ‘Are you sure you’re Stevie Wonder?’ because I had difficulty believing he’d be calling. “He said, �.