Garvin was born in
Harlem and raised by foster parents in the Bronx. He took piano lessons as a child. Members of The Hearts later performed as
The Jaynetts. At the same time, Garvin became Sanders' main assistant at
J&S Records, which she set up in 1956, and he was responsible for the label's typical full, bottom-heavy piano-laden arrangements. The label's greatest successes came with the duo Johnnie and Joe, whose biggest hit "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea" (#8
Pop and No. 3
R&B in 1957) was written by Garvin, who sang harmony vocals on the song and was credited as bandleader. The duo comprised Garvin's friend Joe Rivers, and Sanders' daughter Johnnie. Garvin's own recording career started in 1957, with "My Darling Dear". In 1959, his vocal duet with
Marie Knight as
Marie and Rex on "I Can't Sit Down" reached No. 94 on the
Billboard pop chart. He formed his own group
Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers in 1961, releasing their first single "Go Little Willie"/"Emulsified", on
Epic Records; the single was reissued two years later by
Okeh. The group toured widely on the "
Chitlin' Circuit". Several of these recordings have been anthologized in recent years, particularly on
Northern Soul compilations. Their last record release was "Strange Happenings" on the Chieftain label in 1971. He left the Mighty Cravers and quit the music business in about 1975. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia, but continued to play occasional gigs until 1985. In 1990, "Emulsified" was covered by
Yo La Tengo on their album
Fakebook. Garvin died in Atlanta in 2013, aged 73. ==References==