Marvin Otto Herzog was born August 9, 1932, on a farm in Frankenmuth, Michigan, to Otto and Clara Brenner Herzog.

Music played an important role in the Herzog home. The family, together with their friends, enjoyed many evenings singing the old German songs handed down through the generations. Most Saturday nights, the Herzog family would be in the kitchen, listening to the radio tuned to the Grand Ole Opry, live from Nashville, Tennessee, and on Sunday mornings after church, they tuned into WFDF radio station in Flint, Michigan, for the Polka Show. From those early beginnings, the old German songs from his father, the country music from the Grand Ole Opry, and the polkas and waltzes from WFDF came the style of music that is uniquely "Marv Herzog."

When Marv was twelve, a neighbor, upon hearing about Marv's ability to play piano by ear, introduced him to a full-size forty-eight bass piano accordion. Marv practiced the accordion for an hour every day. He learned each song by trying to remember how it sounded, then practiced it over and over in different keys, until it was committed to memory. To this day, that's how Marv learns new songs.

During the summer and fall of 1946, Marv was becoming more accomplished on the accordion. The G.B.U. Club in Birch Run hired them for December 31, 1946, the band's first paid performance. With money in his pocket, Marv started dreaming about owning a newer accordion and booking more jobs. In addition to the band, Marv formed "The Herzog Trio" with his sisters. Marv played accordion, Hilda played guitar, and Verna played the big bass fiddle or the piano.

In 1963, Marv purchased his first Cordovox - a combination accordion and organ with an electronic bass. The new instrument proved to be the catalyst that propelled Marv to greater popularity than he had ever imagined. Marv and the band received offers to perform in other areas besides mid-Michigan. Soon their horizon expanded to include Ohio, Pennsylvania, and some other eastern states.

The vehicles that transported the band ranged from sedans in the Forties and Fifties, to station wagons, vans, and motor homes pulling trailers in the Sixties and Seventies. A 35-foot Greyhound bus was the vehicle during the Eighties and until 1993, when almost a million miles registered on its odometer. Marv then purchased a newer 40-foot Greyhound bus. Traveling across the United States from Texas and Arizona to Maryland and Pennsylvania became the norm for the band. Marv's style of music had attracted people from almost every state, and the large bus allowed the band to travel further and more comfortably than ever before to dances and festivals all over the nation.

In 1975, Marv began sponsoring tours to Europe, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.

Marv's music had crossed the Atlantic and was being enjoyed by the Europeans, but his popularity continued to soar in America as well. In 1979, The International Polka Association honored Marv by inducting him into the International Polka Music Hall of Fame. The event was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and drew a record number of people from across the nation. In 1985, Marv was inducted into the Michigan Polka Music Hall of Fame. In addition to these honors, Marv has received accolades from many polka organizations, clubs, and festivals for his dedication to polka music.

In 1988, the Summer Music Fest evolved from the Polka Fest, with Marv and Teresa Herzog, and Mark Janson, another band leader from Frankenmuth, as the organizers.

In Germany and many places in America, people have come together in friendship because of Marv's unique style of music. Marv was blessed with an extraordinary ability to hear, learn and remember songs, coupled with the desire and drive to play those songs on stage and entertain people. And most would agree Marv Herzog did this exceptionally well.