American pianist, songwriter and radio DJ.
Born June 15, 1911 in Nashville, Tennessee
Died December 2, 1986
Marvin Hughes began working professionally in clubs in Chicago and New York City as a blues soloist. He toured with the bands of
Slatz Randall,
Ben Pollack and
Bob Crosby. He also worked with Snooky Lanson on TV variety series
Your Hit Parade.
By the mid-1950s, he returned to Nashville and worked for WLAC, before joining the WSM staff band. In 1958, Mr. Hughes replaced Owen Bradley as
WSM Radio’s music director. He played piano on studio sessions for such artists as Elvis Presley, Faron Young, Kitty Wells, Webb Pierce, Eddy Arnold and Jim Reeves. In 1963, he married
Kathy Copas, widow of
Randy Hughes and daughter of
Cowboy Copas. Randy Hughes (unrelated to him) was
Patsy Cline’s airplane pilot and died with her in a plane crash just few months before, along with Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins.