Left to right top row: Ronnie Caudill, Roger Fuentes, James Marvell, Buddy Good
Bottom row: Debbie Lewis and Brenda McNish - 1969

James Marvell Is Still Shaking His Head
In Amazement Over Something That Happened More Than Three Decades Years Ago.

Tampa, Florida - In 1969, the group Mercy, shared Billboard's Top 10 with The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra with their million selling Warner Brother's smash hit, "Love Can Make You Happy."

The Beatles were at number 1 with "Get Back", Mercy was at number 2, Elvis at number 5 with "In The Ghetto" and Sinatra at number 7 with his signature song, "My Way."

It was the only time that those three pop legends shared the top 10 simultaneously. Marvell still can't believe he was part of history.

Fresh from their big hit, James Marvell and another Mercy member, Buddy Good, were feeling uncomfortable with the trappings of stardom. Drugs were everywhere and promoters weren't exactly paragons of virtue.

Soon Marvell heard the call of another voice-the voice of Jesus. He decided to take His direction, devoting his life's work to Christ and arming himself in a war against drugs. "I felt the mission to go into Country Music and steer kids away from drug abuse." The new duo Country Cavaleers made up of Good and Marvell was an odity because of the members' long hair. "You've got to remember it was right after the movie Easy Rider," explains Marvell.

But they got the chance to perform with such major stars as Faron Young, Freddy Fender, Barbara Mandrell, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn and many of the Grand Ole Opry legends. TV appearences included ABC's Wilburn Brothers plus several of the early morning Ralph Emery TV shows at WSM. Future stars Don Williams and Dickie Lee produced their first record.

The MGM/CSA recording duo Country Cavaleers disbanded in 1976.

Marvell went solo but soon turned his attention to designing jewelry for country music artists. Thousands of country fans became collectors of Marvell's specialized turquoise jewelry throughout the 80s and early 90s which he designed for such legends as Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

The new millenium now finds James Marvell still at it with over a dozen christian hits and noted appearences on TBN, Nashville Gospel, Bobby Jones and The Pat Boone Show. "Prophecy", "NewAgeWorld" and "America You Must" by Marvell have been airing daily as theme songs, on the worldwide prophetic radio and TV program NEWSWATCH MAGAZINE reaching every city in the U.S.A. For a list of stations and times click here.

James Marvell, former member of Mercy, plans to record another Sigler composition soon and it has classic written all over it! It was Jack Sigler Jr. who penned the million seller, “Love Can Make You Happy”, made famous by the group Mercy in 1969. Jack founded the band in the 60s.