Marilyn Barbarin

Marilyn Barbarian Will You Still Love Me Olympia

Marilyn whose voice and style remind me of Candi Staton recorded at least four 45’s. She teamed up with veteran arranger Wardell Quezergue for an interesting double-sider “Make It Alone”/ “Stop Before You Start” for the Virgil label.Virgil Engeran who wrote both sides of the 45 probably owned the Virgil label. “Make It Alone” is a clip clop beater in the style of Candi’s Warners mid 70’s sides and has a lovely 30 seconds plus fade out with her pleading she “Can’t Make It Alone”.

“Stop Before You Start” is faster and busier and sounds influenced by Gloria Gaynor with more high hat and but it has some irritating breaks, which spoil the overall song though it really cooks towards the end as Marilyn again lets go. Both sides have full production including strings and must have been recorded in the late 70’s. One feature of these 2 tracks is the excellent backing female vocals.

Marilyn also had another mid tempo track “Will You Still Love Me” which she wrote for the Olympia label probably around the late 70’s/early 80’s and is again very influenced by Candi Staton. The track was recorded at the Pace Sound Recording studios and Wilson Victorian arranged the song with the Bayou Renegades on backing. She also had an Eddie Bo produced funk classic “Reborn” with the Soul Finders on Bo Sound 106 which crops on several New Orleans Funk orientated CD’s. I have also heard a nice ballad by her called “Tell Me Why” which is included on an MG CD “New Orleans Second Line Mardi Gras Party”.

She was still performing in New Orleans in the late 90’s as the featured vocalist in Walter Washington’s band and performed in the New Orleans Blues Project. She is also a Musical Ambassador for The New Orleans Blues Highway. The most recent recording I can find by her is the backing vocals she did for a release by Timothea for the Louisiana Music Factory label in 2000. She is also getting plays with her early Nola 45 “Just A Teenager”, which I have yet to hear and believe to be an R&B side. She could possibly have recorded for the Syla label in the 80’s/90’s because I have seen a publicity photo of her, which mentions that she was one of their artists.