Marsha Hunt -

Marsha Hunt (born April 15, 1946) is an American soul singer from Philadelphia. She moved to Britain in 1966 and entered the London music circuit through work with Bluesology, Alexis Korner, and Ferris Wheel, then joined the original London cast of Hair. Hunt recorded a run of soul and rock singles for Track Records from 1969 and released her debut album, Woman Child, in 1971.

Background

Marsha Hunt was born April 15, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Inez Hunt, worked as a librarian and raised Hunt with help from an aunt and grandmother; her father, Blaire Theodore Hunt Jr., worked as a psychiatrist and lived apart from the household.

Hunt spent her first thirteen years in North Philadelphia, Germantown, and Mount Airy before her family moved to Kensington, California, in 1960. Hunt graduated from Oakland High School in 1964 and entered the University of California, Berkeley, where she participated in Free Speech Movement protests and antiwar demonstrations.

In England

Hunt left Berkeley for Britain in February 1966 and lived briefly in Edinburgh before she settled in London. She met Soft Machine keyboardist Mike Ratledge late that year and auditioned as a possible singer for the group. Hunt joined Free at Last in February 1967, a blues trio formed by Alexis Korner with multi-instrumentalist Victor Brox, and worked London clubs with the group. Visa problems threatened her stay in Britain, and Hunt married Ratledge on April 15, 1967.

Hunt subsequently sang with Bluesology, the Long John Baldry group that included keyboardist Reg Dwight, saxophonist Elton Dean, and guitarist Neil Hubbard. She moved into Ferris Wheel for a brief stint in 1968 after the departure of singer Diane Ferraz. Hunt left the group later that year to play Dionne in the original London production of Hair, which opened at Shaftesbury Theatre in September 1968.

Hunt joined the original London cast of Hair as Dionne when the production opened in September 1968 at Shaftesbury Theatre. Hunt sang “White Boys” and joined the ensemble on “Let the Sunshine In” when the cast recorded the show on Oct. 13, 1968, at CTS Studios.

1969/70 Track Singles

Tony Hall brought Track Records cofounder Kit Lambert to see Hunt at Shaftesbury Theatre, and Lambert subsequently signed her to Track. Tony Visconti produced Hunt on a version of the Dr. John song “Walk on Gilded Splinters,” which Track issued in April 1969 with her version “Hot Rod Poppa”) as her first solo single. The single reached No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart.

A. “Hot Rod Poppa” (3:19) – originated as “Hot Rod Mama,” the opening track on the 1968 Tyrannosaurus Rex album My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair… But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows. Hunt changed the gendered word in the title.
B. “Stacey Grove” (2:22) – originated as a Tyrannosaurus Rex track on the 1968 album Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages.

In August 1969, Hunt fronted White Trash at the Jazz Bilzen and Isle of Wight festivals. Hunt followed with her second Track single, “Desdemona,” issued in November 1969 (b/w “Hippy Gumbo”) and followed in March 1970 with “Keep the Customer Satisfied” (b/w “Lonesome Holy Roller”).

A “Desdemona” (3:14) – originated as a 1967 John’s Children single (b/w “Remember Thomas à Becket”), recorded while Bolan belonged to the group.
B. “Hippy Gumbo” (2:54) – originated as a 1966 Marc Bolan solo single on Parlophone (b/w “Misfit”), recorded before John’s Children and Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Discography: