Hanson -

Hanson was a London-based funk band that released the 1973–74 albums Now Hear This and Magic Dragon on ELP‘s Manticore label. They featured a multinational lineup of players, mostly from the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

Members: Junior Hanson [aka Junior Marvin] (vocals, guitar), Bobby Tench (guitar, backing vocals), DeLisle Harper (bass), Rebop Kwaku Baah (percussion), Godfrey McLean (drums), Neil Murray (bass), Clive Chaman (bass), Glen LeFleur (drums), Brother James (percussion), Marlo Henderson (guitar), Andre Lewis [aka Mandré] (keyboards), Jean Roussel (keyboards), Conrad Isidore (drums), Jimmy Thomas (backing vocals), Ken Cumberbatch (keyboards), Chris Wood (flute)

Background

Hanson is the middle name of guitarist–singer Junior Marvin: born Donald Hanson Marvin Kerr Richards Jr. on June 22, 1949, in Kingston, Jamaica.

Marvin moved to London as a child and played in a sequence of R&B–beat groups as a teenager. In 1965, he played in Blue Ace Unit with (future Sundae Times) bassist Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels. He was the third guitarist (after John McLaughlin) in Herbie Goins & The Nighttimers, which briefly featured a teenage Linda Lewis. Marvin and Lewis formed White Rabbit, which collapsed when Linda replaced Diane Ferraz in the Ferris Wheel.

As Junior Kerr, Marvin played on 1970–72 albums by Gass (Juju), Gerry Lockran (Wun), Keef Hartley Band (Seventy Second Brave), and Reebop Kwaku Baah (Reebop).

In February 1973, Marvin recorded the first Hanson album with alumni of Gass, Traffic, and the Reebop sessions. He signed with Manticore, a label established by Emerson Lake & Palmer.

Now Hear This

Hanson released their debut album, Now Hear This, in 1973 on Manticore.

The album showcases Junior Hanson’s fluid guitar phrasing in a funk-rock context with psychedelic flourishes and extended jazz-rock jams. It contrasts tight vocal numbers on side one with a looser, exploratory side two that culminates in a long instrumental workout.

Junior Hanson handles lead vocals and guitar, joined by keyboardist Jean Roussel, whose Rhodes, clavinet, organ, and Moog textures shape the album’s harmonic terrain. Bassists Clive Chaman and DeLisle Harper alternate across tracks, supported by drummers Conrad Isidore and Godfrey McLean. Bob Tench adds rhythm guitar and backing vocals alongside Jimmy Thomas. Reebop Kwaku Baah contributes congas and percussion, while Chris Wood appears on flute.

Hanson wrote all tracks on Now Hear This. Side one emphasizes compact funk-rock vignettes, while side two features longer, more fluid arrangements. “Love Knows Everything” was issued as a single in mono/stereo format.

“Traveling Like a Gypsy” opens with fuzzy bends and wah inflections that pivot into clipped funk phrasing over a moderate pulse. “Love Knows Everything” contrasts static verses with smoother instrumental sections built on short-cycle riffing. “Mister Music Maker” layers flute above sustained chords and vocal turns that split across asymmetric bridges. “Catch That Beat” slows to a relaxed gait with stratified rhythm guitar and soft falsetto.

“Take You Into My Home” shifts between syncopated Rhodes lines and a padded funk backbeat. “Gospel Truth” drives forward on a steady drum–piano axis with call-and-response vocals. “Rain” turns down the intensity with tight phrasal changes and semi-spoken vocal cadences. “Smokin’ To The Big ‘M’” stretches across ten minutes, opening with freeform keys and climbing guitar figures before settling into a mid-tempo vamp that allows Roussel’s Rhodes fills and Hanson’s bends to alternate in long sequences.

A1. “Traveling Like a Gypsy” (6:15)
A2. “Love Knows Everything” (3:08) — issued as a mono/stereo single
A3. “Mister Music Maker” (4:27)
A4. “Catch That Beat” (3:48)
A5. “Take You Into My Home” (3:11)

B1. “Gospel Truth” (5:03)
B2. “Rain” (5:10)
B3. “Smokin’ to the Big ‘M’” (9:53)

Sessions occurred in early 1973 at Island Studios in London with producer Mario Medious and engineer John Burns. Phil Ault assisted.

Now Hear This features cover art with a monochrome photo of Junior Hanson set against block-text graphics in red and gold. The liner notes thank Keith Emerson for use of his Mini-Moog synthesizer.

Magic Dragon

Hanson released their debut album, Magic Dragon, in May 1974 on Manticore. The album shifts from extended jam structures to shorter, vocal-driven tracks with tighter arrangements.

Junior Hanson handles lead vocals and guitar, joined by bassist Neil Murray and drummer Glen LeFleur. Andre Lewis (credited elsewhere as Mandré) adds clavinet and organ to key tracks. Marlo Henderson appears on two songs, and Brother James contributes congas and auxiliary percussion. Cassandra provides background vocals on “Boy Meets Girl,” which she also wrote.

Junior Hanson wrote seven tracks, including four with keyboardist Ken Cumberbatch. The band also covers “Rock Me Baby,” the 1964 R&B classic by B.B. King and Joe Josea. Glen LeFleur, Neil Murray, and Brother James co-wrote “Love Yer, Need You,” and Cassandra penned “Boy Meets Girl.”

A1. “Rocking Horseman” (3:32)
A2. “Modern Day Religion” (3:10) — issued as a single (b/w “Boy Meets Girl”)
A3. “Down Into the Magic” (5:26)
A4. “Rock Me Baby” (3:55) — originated as a 1964 single by B.B. King, written by B.B. King and Joe Josea; also recorded by Otis Redding and Johnny Winter

B1. “Love Yer, Need You” (4:59)
B2. “Boy Meets Girl” (3:05)
B3. “American Beauty Rose” (3:05)
B4. “Looking at Tin Soldiers” (3:44)
B5. “Magic Dragon” (2:58)

Sessions occurred in early 1974 at the Record Plant in Los Angeles with producer Mario Medious and engineer John Burns. “Rock Me Baby” was recorded separately at the Village Recorder. Junior Hanson and Karl Richardson handled mixing; Dennis King mastered the LP.

Magic Dragon features cover art directed by Bob Defrin with a sculpture image by Nick Aristovulos. The artwork depicts a winged beast with abstract humanoid features enclosed in a circular border.

Atlantic promoted the album with the single “Modern Day Religion” (b/w “Boy Meets Girl”).

Postlude: Junior Hanson’s Subsequent Work

After Magic Dragon, Junior Hanson resumed session work under variants of his name — Junior Hanson, Julian Marvin, or Junior Marvin — and contributed to multiple landmark albums across funk, reggae, and jazz-rock fusion.

In 1976, he played guitar on Reggae Got Soul by Toots & the Maytals and I Sus by Delroy Washington, both key Island Records releases. That same year, he joined the all-star ensemble Go — a fusion project led by Stomu Yamashta with Steve Winwood, Michael Shrieve, and Klaus Schulze — where he was credited as Julian Marvin. He also appeared on Winwood’s 1977 solo debut Steve Winwood, listed under both Junior Hanson and Julian (Jr) Marvin.

From 1978, Hanson gained wider prominence as lead guitarist for Bob Marley & the Wailers. In 1980, Marvin contributed to Hail H.I.M. by Burning Spear, further solidifying his ties to roots reggae. After Marley’s death, Hanson continued with the Wailers Band.

Discography: