In February 2009 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Tahiti Nui.
However, rather than embarking on a career in the opera, in 1971, he had his first hit single, "Schöne Maid" (a year later also released in an English-language version, "Pretty Maid"). "Pretty Maid" peaked at number 16 in Australia in 1971.
He was a German Schlager and opera singer.
Marshall trained as an opera singer in Karlsruhe, graduating in 1965.