Hanson (also known as Junior Marvin's Hanson) were a British-based

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed by

Junior Hanson Junior Marvin (born Donald Hanson Marvin Kerr Richards Jr., June 22, 1949), also known as Junior Marvin-Hanson, Junior Hanson, Junior Kerr, and Julian Junior Marvin is a Jamaican-born guitarist and singer best known for his association with Bo ...

in 1973 and were signed to Emerson, Lake and Palmer's record label

Manticore The manticore or mantichore (Latin: ''mantichōra''; reconstructed Old Persian: ; Modern fa, مردخوار ) is a Persian legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx that proliferated in western European medieval art as well. It has the ...

. Their debut album ''Now Hear This'', was released in 1973 and featured

Bobby Tench Robert Tench (born 21 September 1944) is a British vocalist, guitarist, sideman, songwriter and arranger. Tench is best known for his work with Freddie King and Van Morrison, as well as being a member of The Jeff Beck Group, Humble Pie, Str ...

. At the beginning of 1974,

Junior Marvin Junior Marvin (born Donald Hanson Marvin Kerr Richards Jr., June 22, 1949), also known as Junior Marvin-Hanson, Junior Hanson, Junior Kerr, and Julian Junior Marvin is a Jamaican-born guitarist and singer best known for his association with Bo ...

disbanded the existing line-up and reformed the band for the recording of a

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer sta ...

album ''Magic Dragon'', which was released later that year.

''Now Hear This''

Track listing

;Side One #"Traveling Like a Gypsy" - 6:15 #"Love Knows Everything" - 3:08 #"Mister Music Maker" - 4:27 #"Catch That Beat" - 3:48 #"Take You into My Home" - 3:11 ;Side Two #

"Gospel Truth" - 5:03 #"Rain" - 5:10 #"Smokin’ to the Big 'M'" - 9:53

Credits

- guitar and lead vocals; backing vocals on "Love Knows Everything" and "Take You Into My Home"; bass guitar on "Rain" *

Jean Roussel Jean Alain Roussel (born 1951 in Port Louis, Mauritius) is a Musician, Composer, Record Producer, Arranger, Educator and 'Music and Life Coach'. He is best known for keyboard work from the 1970s through today, playing regularly with Cat Stev ...

- electric piano, organ, clavinet, Mini-Moog synthesizer; piano on "Gospel Truth" *

Clive Chaman Clive Chaman (born 5 September 1949) is a UK-based bass guitarist and session musician, born in Trinidad and Tobago. After appearing on Ram John Holder's 1969 ''London Blues'' album, Chaman became a member of the second Jeff Beck Group in 1971 ...

- bass guitar on all tracks except for "Love Knows Everything" and "Rain" *Conrad Isidore - drums on all tracks except for "Love Knows Everything"

Additional Personnel

Jimmy Thomas Jimmy Thomas (January 20, 1939 – April 25, 2022) was an American soul singer and songwriter. He was best known as a vocalist for Ike Turner. Thomas joined Turner's Kings of Rhythm in 1958, and remained with the band when the Ike & Tina T ...

- superstring; backing vocals on "Take You Into My Home", "Rain" and "Smoking to the Big 'M'" *

Rebop Kwaku Baah Anthony "Rebop" Kwaku Baah (13 February 1944 – 12 January 1983) was a Ghanaian percussionist who worked with the 1970s rock groups Traffic and Can. Biography Baah was born on 13 February 1944, in Konongo, Gold Coast. In 1969, Baah performe ...

- congas *

- backing vocals on "Love Knows Everything", "Gospel Truth" and "Rain"; guitar on "Catch That Beat" *Godfrey McLean - drums and backing vocals on "Love Knows Everything" *Delisle Harper - bas guitar on "Love Knows Everything" * Chris Wood - flute on "Mister Music Maker" *Ken Cumberbatch - piano on "Catch That Beat"

''Magic Dragon''

Track listing

;Side one #"Rocking Horseman" — (John Burns) — 3:32 #"Modern Day Religion" — (Junior Hanson, Ken Cumberbatch) — 3:10 #"Down into the Magic" — (Hanson, Cumberbatch) — 5:26 #" Rock Me Baby" — (

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

, Joe Josea) — 3:55 ;Side two #

"Love Yer, Need You" — (Hanson, Neil Murray, Glen LeFleur, Brother James) — 4:59 #"Boy Meets Girl" — (Cassandra) — 3:05 #"American Beauty Rose" — (Hanson, Cumberbatch) — 3:05 #"Looking at Tin Soldiers" — (Hanson) — 3:44 #"Magic Dragon" — (Hanson, Cumberbatch) — 2:58

Credits

— electric guitar, lead vocals; acoustic guitar (track 3) * Neil Murray — bass *Glen LeFleur — drums; percussion (track 1) *Brother James — congas; percussion (tracks 1, 3, 6, 7) *Cassandra — backing vocals (track 2) *

Marlo Henderson Marlo Henderson was an American guitarist and saxophonist, who played in mainly blues and R&B genres. As a session musician he played on albums such as '' Off the Wall'' by Michael Jackson, '' Them Changes'' by Buddy Miles, '' Face to Face'' by Ev ...

— electric guitar (tracks 1, 2, 6) * Andre Lewis — clavinet (tracks 1, 8), organ (tracks 3, 6) *The Big 'M' — voice of the company sergeant (track 8)

Discography

*''Now Hear This'' Manticore (1973) *''Magic Dragon'' Manticore (1974) *''Now Hear This'' Ork/Cherry Red (2007) re-release

References

External links

Junior Marvin
Hanson press release {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson Musical groups established in 1973 English rock music groups