Marv was born to musically gifted parents Vera Hall Miller and the late Marvin Anthony Miller Sr. With strong musical influences on each side of the family it was a certainty that their son would pick up his own unique talents and love of the craft. When I ask about how he got started, Marv immediately delves back into his family roots.
“My grandfather, Rupert A Hall Sr. was an anointed church musician and my grandmother Vashti Rosetta Hall, was a singer. My mother was also a very active singer. She not only sang with the church choir, but also with my Aunt Vashti, her sister, and with the Suburban Mass Choir so we were always in church. She always worshipped in song. My mom just loves to sing so as long as I’ve been around, she’s always been a part of at least two choral ministries and various other groups outside of the church. My dad was a special case because although all of his siblings could sing, as far as I know, he’s the only one who could sing AND play an instrument. He played bass guitar like nobody’s business. As far back as when I was four or five I would see my dad doing funk and R&B gigs, but also playing in church. I looked forward to sitting in with my dad because there would be several different instruments, whereas in church with my mom, there was typically just an organ.”
But Marv’s mom and dad were just the tip of the iceberg. Stretching from the roots of his ancestral line on up to the youngest of his current cousins, Marv’s family (the Hunts, the Halls, and a stem of his father’s side) are all incredibly gifted and in many circles, widely known for their musical capabilities. Just about every family member can carry a tune, play one or more instruments, write music, direct, and anything else you can name. While many of us were playing with dolls and pretending to be Power Rangers, Marv was singing with family choirs at his home churches of Mt Zion United Methodist-Magothy, New Shiloh Baptist, New Carmel Star, and playing alongside aunts, uncles, and cousins galore. When he wasn’t playing or forced to sing, he would sit behind the drummer in service and mimic the movements he witnessed.
With Marv’s family being so richly endowed in talent, I ask him about how he came to choose the drums of all things. His humble spirit and old soul reveals itself as he responds, “Well I figured ‘My dad’s pretty awesome at playing bass, there’s no way I can do that’ so it had to be drums. I would hear my dad and his band members talking about notes and key signatures, and I didn’t want any parts of that at four or five years old, so I became more enamored with drums. Let my mom tell it though, it was always drums even from when I was in the womb, kicking around. There was also one camp meeting experience where my Aunt Virgie who’s good at anything she puts her mind to, just decided she was going to play drums, and she did exactly that.”
At New Carmel Star, Marvin was among the children who were too small to be able to effectively reach all the parts of the drums, so fellow musician and future band mate Timothy Riddick would permit them to bang on tambourines, bongos, and whatever else he could find within their capabilities. Marv’s Aunt Vashti however, had other plans, and would have him sing along with the youth choir until he was old enough to actually play without assistance. In the meantime, Marv’s interest in percussion only grew more and, having broken the toy drum set he started out with, Marv developed his own system for practicing and growing his sound. At just seven years old, he began surreptitiously assembling a five-piece makeshift drum set from his mother’s business file boxes as his toms, his penguin toy chest as high hats, and his Aunt Virgie’s tambourine for a snare. He chuckles as he thinks about those days.
“I’m sure my mom is still upset about what I put those boxes through, because I would mostly wait for her to empty out some boxes, but if she didn’t, I would still just use one side to bang on as a bass drum, hoping she never turned the box around. And I would use the box tops until I beat through them, and then switch them out for one of the spare tops she had sitting around.”
If his mom was upset, she never really let on, and Marv’s growing skill caught the eye of his Aunt Verda, his loving and watchful godmother, who gave him his first opportunity to play when she asked him to play for their Little BG’s concert. He played the entire service and received a large Ninja Turtles coloring book as a reward. This was his first taste of gig life.
At this point, Marv’s responsibility was running the camera with his cousins for Thursday night services at New Carmel Star, but his Aunt Vashti caught wind of his developing talent and put it to good use by having him accompany her piano skills with his drum playing. Here he learned valuable lessons about the acoustics of a room as the instrument set up for New Carmel was not the normal set up. “The ceilings were so stupid high that everything carried, and in order to stay on beat from all the way across the room, I had to either play a few beats ahead or a couple steps behind just to get everything on a level playing field.”
At age 11 or 12 Marv had graduated from box tops & the old penguin toy chest to his own snare drum with stand, and foot pedal, generously provided by his Aunt Vashti. Unaware he needed a complete set of his own, he played services at his cousin Henry’s church under the leadership of his aunt and alongside his cousin JeNean on just the snare and foot pedal. “I just made it work.” He says simply. Being in middle school by this time, Marv had also signed up to be in the school band and followed his cousins to New Shiloh Baptist Church to be a part of the Determined Choir. It was during this time that he received a call from his dad to come and play at John Wesley United Methodist Church, his first actual gig as a drummer.
A middle school student with varied interests and an expensive hobby, Marv was thrilled with the prospect of making money to do what he already loved. He thought that these musicians he saw playing were doing so because they wanted to, so he was genuinely shocked and enthused when he realized he would be paid for his services at his father’s church. “When I got to John Wesley and they said they were going to pay me x amount of dollars, I thought ‘Oh, well ok! I’m going to buy these toys and get myself these things I want. I’m going to have so much fun.’” His mother however, was no fool and had other plans for him that would teach him about responsibility and independence. “My mom said, ‘Oh you’re getting a check now? Great, you buy your food and clothes. I’ll make sure you have a roof over your head.’ Of course she still cared for me and made sure I was taken care of, but she wanted me to learn. Most kids my age weren’t working or were bringing in allowances of $50-$100 once every couple of months, but here I am at 12 years old clearing $200 a week easily. So my mom was absolutely instrumental in teaching me financial responsibility.”
That responsibility has continued with Marv throughout his entire life. He’s been primarily taking care of himself and paying his own expenses since his first gigs, and he went on to study and earn his degree in business administration. He has managed to turn his life passion into positive income amidst always keeping a steady day job. Anyone who knows him can speak on his reliability, his humble spirit, and his generous but relaxed demeanor. His friends, family, and colleague will attest that he is one laid back, wise beyond his years, good guy who always comes through in the clutch.
When questioned as to how he maintained this sense of responsibility and still managed to be a kid, how he kept his integrity and stayed on the straight and narrow track being just a preteen boy growing up in Baltimore, he says “Oh I was a weirdo, I was a nerd. I actually did my work when we were in school. I was considered advanced for a time because I was reading two grades above my level so they would place me in the upper classes for reading and language arts, which is funny because in my elementary school, one of my distant cousins was a teacher, so she watched out for me. Then at my second elementary school, my principal went to New Shiloh Baptist and even though she didn’t make the family connection until way later, she sensed something in me and kept a good rapport with my mother. It’s hard to get into trouble when you’re in advanced classes, unable to bring home bad grades, and then you’re in church 6 of the 7 days out of the week.” Essentially, anyone who came into contact with Marv could sense something special about him. He likes to say it was “people seeing the Christ” in him thanks to his family’s faith and influence.
As an honest, God fearing, hard working, intelligent young man who stays pretty busy, you would think that Marv doesn’t have to worry so much about the epidemic of violence and struggle that our young men are facing in the streets today, but it’s actually something he has to think about daily. “I’m still a black man in Baltimore, driving a black car, with black tints, traveling to and from every day, and even when I’m not thinking about it, my wife reminds me how big of a reality it is for us.” We talk about the incident that happened back in October with 31 year old gospel drummer Corey Jones. Corey was leaving a gig and had some car trouble. He was on the side of the road, waiting on roadside assistance when an unmarked car with a plain clothes officer rolls up on him to investigate. No one is aware of what happened next because there are no dash cams or recordings anywhere but the officer says he was “confronted by an armed man” and Corey was shot and killed on site. “I was extremely saddened by it because it just shows that anything can happen to anyone at anytime." Marv says. "From what we can tell of the back story, he wasn’t doing anything wrong, just coming home from a gig. He’s on the side of the road, having car trouble…I go out of town all the time and travel to and from; that could be me. It’s just the grace of God. All I can say is make sure you keep all of your papers in tact, know your rights, and even then…you can do all of that, and it still may be for naught. So just pray.”
Faith is a critical aspect in Marvin’s life. It has played a large role in his growth from childhood and has matured him to the man he is today. Ask him about it and he’ll tell you how faith and family are his largest values. In an overly sexualized world where it’s already so easy to succumb to temptation, musicians have a reputation for slipping on their moral code. Recently, gospel singer and drummer Teddy Campbell was in a huge scandal over his infidelity, performer Israel Haughton had to come out and apologize regarding his indiscretions, Deitrick Haddon, Tye Tribbett...the list goes on. I ask Marv why he thinks it’s so much pressure out there and how he stays away from it to maintain a happy marriage and level conscience. “I keep my sexuality at home with my wife." he says honestly. "It’s very easy for anyone to fall, especially when you have talent and there’s an influx of people drawn to you. There are a lot of shallow and devious people too. I love my wife, and at the end of the day you just have to ask yourself ‘Is it worth losing what I have?’ 99.98 percent of the time, the answer is no, and you keep it moving. When that remaining percentage happens, you still have to have enough discipline to tell yourself no. I’ve made it my business to ignore women simply because my demeanor is inviting and I don’t want those problems. I notice them, but I don’t have time to mess up my good thing. I’m around to do a job. It’s just about integrity. It’s easier said than done, and I understand how these unhappy or lonely people can slip up, but me personally, I don’t have that issue. What I have at home is better than anything I find out there on the road. Period.”
Speaking of how lonely it gets and how much pressure there is for musicians brings to mind just how much Marv has on his plate. Juggling a full time job, very steady musician work, being a devoted husband, and now a new dad surely doesn’t leave a lot of time in the day and must be incredibly time consuming, which is another common thread among failed relationships and connections in the music world. When asked how he balances his professional and personal lives, Marv adamantly blurts out “GOD. I really could use a clone. It takes a certain type of focus on developing the skill to learn music quickly and accurately because you don’t get all day to practice, or you may not make sound check. It’s not easy, but if you properly plan for what you’re going to be doing and you work well with the musicians you encounter, that part takes care of itself and you’ll be able to prioritize your personal life accordingly. Sometimes, it’s the other way around, it’s all about proper planning and prioritizing.”
Now we’ve all seen those biopics and behind the scenes specials where prioritizing family life and music don’t always work out. It’s not at all simple and is often the leading cause of separation, either of business or of families, because there came a time where one had to choose between the success of either or. I asked Marv if it’s a battle that he has to face and how he deals with it. “Of course it’s an issue. What it comes down to is what’s most important to you. I classify myself as a part time musician, and that’s because I’m blessed enough to be able to do accounting and provide stability for my family, and still be left with time to do what I love. So I can fit gigs in as they come to me, serve on Sundays, and still prioritize time for my family. Family is everything to me. My mom only had two kids, my dad had as many as he wanted to, but for the most part it was just my sister and I. I would like to give my son many more siblings under the same roof and be able to nurture whatever musical initiative they have. Maybe even have my own little family band. My wife isn’t a performing singer, but she can carry a tune and she has an intense love of all music. She gets my life and she supports me in everything. So between her being quality control and exposing our kids to all music, while I pass on the skill and knowledge, both of us being rooted in faith at the core, I’m hoping to build something special in both worlds.”
Hearing about his future plans brought up further conversation about Marv’s goals for his profession, what drives him. “Now that I know touring doesn’t just mean being away from your family for months on end, I would love to do a few tours. It’s also about legacy for me. I want to make things that my children can hear, see, feel and know that it’s their dad. And that’ll involve me getting into production more, which is also something I want to do. I don’t want to just make what’s out, I want to create music again.”
Real live music is something Marv often cherishes above all else. Coming from such an instrumental background and being exposed to live stage performance very early, Marv fell in love with the sounds of funky bands like Earth, Wind & Fire, Graham Central Station, Prince, and Parliament. He gravitated towards the groovy gospel of John P Kee, Hezekiah Walker, and mass choirs particularly of the 90s. When asked who his style most closely resembles, he doesn’t compare himself to anyone strictly out of humility, but a few of his icons include Calvin Rodgers, Sonny Emory, Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith, and Jeff Lesley. Today you can find him serving on Sunday mornings with Mt Olive Baptist Church, traveling all over as the primary drummer for the Reunion Choir of Baltimore, doing live shows up and down the coast as the drummer of Motown and More, working on multiple recording projects such as an album with a group out of southern MD called Connected, and helping out fellow musicians and good friends all over the Maryland-DC-Virginia region. Samples of his work can be found on YouTube under marvin2g9 (see link>> https://youtu.be/bK9AiIFgPXU ), on his FB page at facebook.com/marvinsquared and on Instagram under marvin2g3.
