You’ll hear many tunes in all forms of blues with the philandering trickster stealing hearts, sleeping in their opposition’s bed, and oftentimes being so shrewd as to just be there for slap and tickle. They don’t even want the relationship, they’re just there to get some stink on their hang-low, to quote fellow Alabamian Conrad Thompson. 

Marvin Sease was known for these kinds of songs. As a matter of fact, many of his most popular songs are of this ilk. While this was the late singer’s wheelhouse, he also balanced it with songs about the risk of losing his own relationship. 

It’s the dance that many blues musicians go with in their storytelling. It’s not the only thing they have on them but it’s a popular theme and are some of the songs that have lasting impact. 

A Blues Trickster: Mr. Jody the Candylicker, the Motel Lover 

One of Marvin Sease’s most popular songs is “Candylicker”. As the name suggests, it’s about cunnilingus by Sease’s persona of “Mr. Jody”. In the song, Mr. Jody is introduced as not being “ashamed no more” and how he wants to do all the things that a woman’s lover “never did before.” 

That’s all Mr. Jody needed to get in the door! That’s it! He’s pitching woo at some lady who has a man at home but apparently, he’s lacking performance-wise. He’s not bringing everything and the kitchen sink and we don’t know why. 

As I said before, I love storytelling and I’d love the backstory on why these women are entertaining this bespectacled, slick-haired homewrecker—but he’s getting it done and that’s the important part of Mr. Jodi’s story. 

He doesn’t care why she’s here. Oh, he probably knows why but he determined that wasn’t important to the story and I’ll give it to him. What we do know is how the Mr. Jody character goes about his deeds, he found a market, and he’s in there. Just thriving, folks. There are some unsuspecting nuggets of wisdom in there. 

But ultimately, Mr. Jody is like relationship scab. “If he won’t do it, I will damn it!” 

“Motel Lover”, a song with a similar bounce and energy to “Candylicker” is another adventure for Marvin Sease and his Mr. Jody character. I’d say that this one features more storytelling with the scenario being set and why they have to meet at a hotel.  

If you’ve only heard “Candylicker”, you might think that Jody is just rascally cheater. With “Motel Lover” we find that Mr. Jody can’t meet with this woman at his house for reason. It’s a sliver of backstory but hey, he can’t canoodle with women in the house he lives with his old lady or wife. He’s something of a man of honor even though as he admits in the song they’re “playing a dangerous game.” Now, the persona isn’t played up as much on this track but it’s very much a Jody track. However, if you need something with a little more bite—more attitude—”I’m Mr. Jody” is a banger where he lays down the business and tells the listener what he’s all about after telling the husband of one of his ladies to basically deal with it. 

In that song, we find that the man’s wife has been spending his money on clothes and the like for Mr. Jody and the scoundrel is unrepentant. It’s a great song worth checking out and probably my favorite of the three main Mr. Jody tracks. 

Check them out and let us know some other Marvin Sease tracks you enjoy. Also, let us know what other blues singers you enjoy and would like to be explored! 

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

That isn’t to say that the genre is done or died out. There are veterans touring from the aforementioned periods and a few younger acts who even keep up the sound of 1980s. So, what makes this strain of blues so interesting to me? 

The Sound 

I’m a history guy. I enjoy the history of whatever and will read issues or comics going back decades with a series or start a musician’s discography from the beginning. That’s something I’ve always felt was important. Whenever music fans get into a new artist, it’s not unusual to listen to that artist from the release they discovered the artist from and beyond. 

The stuff that brought to the dance—all of those demos, mixed tapes, and previous albums—might not get a listen from recent fans. So, I always dive into older albums and will end behind by two recent releases as was the case with one of my favorite metal bands Darkthrone. 

In the case of Southern Soul, I enjoy the stuff from the 1960s and early 1970s but the stuff from the late 1970s and the 1980s is my favorite. It also shows how in a subgenre, the sound can change distinctly within a decade. 

The 1960s-1970s stuff was very rooted in blues and gospel—almost to the point where it could be a larger regional subgenre, really. However, as the 1970s rolled on, music across the board built on different sounds and new genres were formed while older ones modernized. 

With the second act of southern soul, you had the roots of blues with more of an influence from soul, disco and R&B. It wasn’t exactly poppish but it did have more of a bounce and swagger or strut to it. Some artists like James Brown, Marvin Sease, Millie Jackson, and Peggy Scott Adams added energy and excitement to the sound and performances. 

That isn’t to say that these were present in the first wave or first act. Sonically, there were a lot of flavors there because there were a lot of genres that cropped up in that period. Funk, disco, go-go, P-Funk, psychedelic, rock, outlaw country,  metal, hip hop punk—those 1960s and 1970s decades were very busy for music. 

The Storytelling of Southern Soul 

As you may have gathered, I dig music with a quicker tempo and Southern soul can vary in tempo from energetic songs with a bounce to slower tunes. However, I’ve always loved storytelling in music and I also enjoy southern storytelling. 

I’m a Southerner, I love to hear my regional family tell a story with all of the humor and embellishment. You totally get that flavor in the storytelling and songwriting in southern soul just as you would in any blues derivative. It’s all in how the story is told and what the story is. It’s similar to enjoying different kinds of hip-hop by region, honestly. Sometimes the region can impact the lyrical content itself since the story is being told from the artist’s perspective and might include their experiences. 

In another entry, we’ll get into one of my favorite characters who embraces the sleazy, trickster approach to some of southern soul’s iconic tunes and themes—romance and salacious relationships. I’m talking about Marvin Sease and his persona of Mr. Jody. 

Now, there are many other artists in this genre who explored cheating, struggling to stay, being cheated on, and everything in that pot. Songs have been covered by contemporaries and peers. However, Marvin Sease’s storytelling really caught me. 

If you’re a fan of blues or southern soul, let us know your favorite period and some of your favorite artists! 

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.