Marcus Daniel (1939–2021) was an American R&B and blues singer, bassist, guitarist, songwriter, and pastor from Alabama who worked with Clarence Carter in the 1960s.
Daniel started his musical career by forming a band called "The Rocking Cadets" with a friend in 1958, performing at venues near his home in Covington County, Alabama. At the time, Black musicians could only perform at segregated clubs, and that's where he befriended Carter. When Carter lost his bassist in 1962, Daniel joined his band. After struggling for some years, the group's luck changed when Carter and Daniel wrote "Tell Daddy" in 1966, which was covered by Etta James as "Tell Mama" the following year. Their success continued with "Looking for a Fox," "Slip Away," and "Back Door Santa."
But the success had its downsides. Daniel got more and more uncomfortable with the band life, which led to him leaving Carter's group in 1969. He returned to Montgomery and formed The Syndicate Band, which played clubs in central Alabama for the next 15 years. In 1982 he joined the Macedonia Baptist Church in Montgomery and began attending it on a regular basis. Around 1987, he began serving as a full-time pastor at the Piney Grove Baptist Church in Matthews, Alabama. He continued his musical career in the Senior Advantage Full Time Band, which played at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.
Born: 1 January 1939
Died: 10 May 2021 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA.
United States