Dwane Garvin, 61, musician was Marvin Gaye's drummer
wazzzy
Dwane Garvin, the Indianapolis native who played drums on recordings
by Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and Stevie Wonder, lived for music,
died listening to music and likely will get an impromptu musical
tribute before his funeral at 1 p.m. Monday at Womack Memorial CME
Church, 4401 Carrollton Ave.
Musician friends are expected to fill the church with rhythm and
blues, jazz and funk music in the two-hour wake before the service,
said Garvin's daughter Charla Saloane.
Mr. Garvin died Wednesday at a hospital in Scottsdale, Ariz., from
complications of diabetes and heart disease. He was 61.
"Forty-five minutes before he passed," Saloane said, "I put headphones
on him and played Marvin Gaye and other old stuff we had recorded on
my husband Marcus' iPod. He responded to it."
Mr. Garvin had a musical family: His mother was singer Flo Garvin, and
his father, Millard Lee, played keyboards for B.B. King for 24 years.
Mr. Garvin had many talents.
"My father played drums, trumpet, organ, piano and saxophone," Saloane
said. "One day his group needed a flute for a song they were working
on. When he told his mother, she said: 'Dwane, you do not know how to
play the flute,' and he said he had to learn it by Saturday. He bought
a flute on Tuesday and practiced, practiced, practiced. He recorded a
flute solo Saturday, and it was marvelous."
Mr. Garvin's mother bought him the $280 set of Whitehall drums he used
with the Highlighters, a group of Attucks High School band members.
"The Highlighters nicknamed him 'Funky Buzzard' and broke that down to
'Buzz,' " his daughter said. "I just called him 'Daddy.' "
Mr. Garvin joined the Marines in 1968, went to Vietnam and played in
the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps.
He also played with local bands Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign and Black
Magic at long-vanished clubs such as the Excalibur, the Zodiac Lounge
and the 20 Grand.
An aide to Marvin Gaye heard Mr. Garvin drumming with Black Magic and
auditioned him for the singer's group.
"He had a hard time when Marvin died on August 1st, 1984," Saloane
said. "My father was with Marvin a long time, from the '70s on to the
'80s. They worked together all the way through, including a full
Europe tour."
Mr. Garvin was known for not crossing his hands to play the high hat
and snare drums. He played left-handed and right-footed.
Charlesine Ford, who was married to Mr. Garvin 17 years, said he
toured constantly. "Most of the time he was home once every three or
four months," she said.
"Everybody has their passion in life," Saloane said. "Drumming was
his."
Other survivors include son Darryl Garvin and daughter Angela Hillman.
wazzzy
"He had a hard time when Marvin died on August 1st, 1984," Saloane
said.
I believe Marvin Gaye died April 1, 1984