Marva Whitney - It’s My Thing

Among the most revered voices in funk, Marva Whitney holds a special place thanks to her fierce energy and unmistakable style on tracks like the classic ‘Unwind Yourself,’ a long-time favorite for DJs and dance-floors alike. Emerging from the dynamic world of the James Brown Revue in the late 1960s—alongside iconic names like Lyn Collins and Vicki Anderson—Marva quickly carved out a name for herself.
 
In 1969, she began recording as a solo artist under James Brown’s King label, scoring a Top 20 R&B hit with ‘It’s My Thing.’ While mainstream hits were few, her music resonated deeply with funk lovers and crate diggers around the world. Songs like ‘You Got to Have a Job’ and the endlessly sampled ‘Unwind Yourself’ have only grown in stature over the decades.
 
Her album, It’s My Thing, dropped that same year and has since become a touchstone of the genre. Backed by the legendary JB’s and produced by James Brown himself—who also contributed to most of the songwriting — the album captures a raw, unapologetic funk sound with a distinctly female voice at the forefront.
 
From the explosive opening of ‘It’s My Thing’—a bold response to the Isley Brothers’ ‘It’s Your Thing’—Marva channels sheer intensity, backed by a band that doesn’t let up. The pace briefly softens with ‘If You Love Me,’ a soul soaked ballad in the spirit of Otis Redding, before diving back into the rhythmic grit of tracks like ‘Unwind
Yourself.’
 
Decades later, It’s My Thing continues to inspire, sampled by producers and treasured by collectors—a powerful snapshot of funk at its most uncompromising.