Donald William 'Bob' Johnston (May 14, 1932 – August 14, 2015) was an American record producer, best known for his work with

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

, and

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of ...

Early days

Johnston was born into a professional musical family. His grandmother Mamie Jo Adams was a songwriter, as was his mother Diane Johnston. Diane had written songs for

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

in the '50s and scored a hit in 1976 when

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...

covered her 1950 demo "Miles and Miles of Texas". After a stint in the Navy, Bob returned to

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

, then he and Diane Johnston collaborated on songwriting for

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and b ...

artist

Mac Curtis Wesley Erwin "Mac" Curtis, Jr. (January 16, 1939 – September 16, 2013) was an American rockabilly musician. Biography Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Curtis began playing guitar at the age of 12, entering local talent competitions. In 1954, h ...

, and others. From 1956 to 1961 Bob recorded a few rockabilly singles under the name Don Johnston. By 1964 he had moved into production work at

Kapp Records Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...

in New York, freelance arranging for

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

and signed as a songwriter to

music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellect ...

Hill and Range. He also married songwriter Joy Byers with whom he began to collaborate.

Elvis and Joy Byers

In later years Bob Johnston claimed that songs still credited to his wife Joy Byers were actually co-written, or solely written by himself. He has cited old "contractual reasons" for this situation. The songs in question include Timi Yuro's 1962 hit "What's A Matter Baby", plus at least 16 songs for

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

's films between 1964 and 1968, including " It Hurts Me", "Let Yourself Go" and "Stop, Look and Listen". Two songs credited to Byers, the aforementioned "Stop, Look and Listen" and "Yeah, She's Evil!" were recorded by

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

(the latter song was titled "The Meanest Girl in Town" when Presley recorded it). Presley recorded "The Meanest Girl in Town" on June 10, 1964, while Bill Haley recorded his version a week later, on June 16, 1964.

Columbia Records: Dylan, Cash, and Cohen

Johnston worked briefly as a staff producer for Kapp Records, then for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

in New York, where he began producing a string of notable and highly influential albums (see list below). He was already producing

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

when in 1965 he was successful in gaining the assignment to produce

, followed by

, the Pozo-Seco Singers,

Flatt & Scruggs Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948. Flatt and Sc ...

, and then

. His style of production varied from a 'documentary' approach capturing a fleeting moment (exemplified by Dylan's albums and Cash's live albums) to providing subtle arrangements with strings, background vocals and seasoned session musicians (exemplified by Cohen's studio albums). After a couple of years in New York, Johnston became head of Columbia in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, where he had known many of the

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

s, such as

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The De ...

, for years. He produced three of Cohen's albums, toured with him and also composed music to the Cohen lyric "Come Spend the Morning", recorded by both

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960 ...

and Engelbert Humperdinck. At the beginning of "

To Be Alone with You "To Be Alone with You" is a country-rock song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as the third track on his 1969 album ''Nashville Skyline''. Composition and recording "To Be Alone with You" was the first song Dylan recorded for ''N ...

" on ''

Nashville Skyline ''Nashville Skyline'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on April 9, 1969, by Columbia Records as LP record, reel to reel tape and audio cassette. Building on the rustic style he experimented with on '' J ...

'', Bob Dylan asks Johnston "Is it rolling, Bob?"

Independent producer

Dissatisfied with his

salary A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. F ...

earnings as a Columbia staff producer, particularly after several hit albums which earned him no

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

, Johnston became an independent producer, most successfully with

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

on ''

Fog on the Tyne ''Fog on the Tyne'' is a 1971 album by English rock band Lindisfarne. Bob Johnston produced the album, which was recorded at Trident Studios in Soho, London, in the mid-1971 and released in October that year on Charisma Records in the Unit ...

'', which topped the British album chart in 1972. In 1972 he toured with Leonard Cohen as a keyboard player, and produced the resulting live album '' Live Songs''. In 1978 he produced Jimmy Cliff's '' Give Thankx'' album, featuring "Bongo Man". In 1979, Johnston produced an album with the San Francisco band Reggae Jackson, titled ''Smash Hits'' that featured Jimmy Foot, Cheryl Lynn, Kenneth Nash, and Wayne Bidgell (the low voice heard on Jimmy Cliff's "Bongo Man" track). In 1985, Johnston produced an album ''Walking In The Shadow'' by the San Francisco band The Rhyth-O-Matics, for engineer Fred Catero's newly formed Catero label. Billboard magazine's "Pop Pick of The Week", the album's release was plagued with distribution difficulties. During a period of financial difficulty, when he was under scrutiny from the

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

, Johnston moved to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, and did no record production for some time. He eventually returned with work on

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

's 1992 album '' The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'' (Nelson had his own financial difficulties at the time). In the mid 1990s, Johnston produced

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

' album '' Go Cat Go!'' which featured numerous guest stars including

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

and

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

, as well as unreleased recordings of Perkins' "

Blue Suede Shoes "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard (music), standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues ...

" by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. This album's release was delayed until 1996. Towards the end of his life Johnston returned to working with fresh talent including singer-songwriters Natalie Pinkis (USA), Eron Falbo (Brazil), and indie rock band Friday's Child (USA). Falbo's album ''73'' was released in 2013. The final project Johnston worked on was ''Evolution: Live at the Saxon Pub'' which he co-produced for Austin band Hector Ward and The Big Time in 2015, which was released in 2016.

Death

Johnston was in a memory facility and a hospice in Nashville for the last week of his life before dying on August 14, 2015. His wife Joyce Johnston (née Byers) died in May 2017.

Selective discography as producer

*Patti Page: "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" US #8 (1965), ''Patti Page Sings America's Favorite Hymns'' (1966) *Bob Dylan: ''

Highway 61 Revisited ''Highway 61 Revisited'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records. Having until then recorded mostly acoustic music, Dylan used rock musicians as his backing band on eve ...

'' (with the exception of "

Like a Rolling Stone "Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 20, 1965, by Columbia Records. Its confrontational lyrics originated in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted fro ...

") (1965), ''

Blonde on Blonde ''Blonde on Blonde'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musicians, in ...

'' (1966), ''

John Wesley Harding ''John Wesley Harding'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on December 27, 1967, by Columbia Records. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album marked Dylan's return to semi-acoustic instrumentation and fol ...

'' (1967), ''

'' (1969), ''

Self Portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

'' (1970), '' New Morning'' (1970) *Simon & Garfunkel: '' Sounds of Silence'' (1966), '' Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme'' (1966) *

Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and succ ...

: '' Tonight Carmen'' (1967), ''Christmas with Marty Robbins'' (1967), '' By the time I get to Phoenix'' (1968), ''I Walk Alone'' (1968), ''It's A Sin'' (1969), ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' (1971), ''No Signs of Loneliness Here'' (1975) * Flatt and Scruggs: ''Changin' Times'' (1967), ''The Story of Bonnie and Clyde'' (1968), '' Nashville Airplane'' (1968), ''Final Fling'' (1969), ''Flatt Out'' (

Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades ...

solo LP, 1970), ''Nashville's Rock'' (

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...

solo LP, 1970) *Johnny Cash: '' At Folsom Prison'' (1968); '' The Holy Land'' (1969); '' At San Quentin'' (1969); ''

Hello, I'm Johnny Cash ''Hello, I'm Johnny Cash'' is the 33rd album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1970 (see 1970 in music). " If I Were a Carpenter", a famous duet with Cash's wife, June Carter Cash, earned the couple a G ...

'' (1970); '' The Johnny Cash Show'' (1970); ''

I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts. The song remai ...

'' (1970); '' Little Fauss and Big Halsy'' (1971) *

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

: '' The Times They Are A-Changin''' (1968) *Leonard Cohen: '' Songs from a Room'' (1969), ''

Songs of Love and Hate ''Songs of Love and Hate'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album was released on March 19, 1971, through Columbia Records. Recording and composition Cohen reunited with produ ...

'' (1971), '' Live Songs'' (1973) *

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole con ...

: '' Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde'' (1969) * Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks: ''Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks'' (aka ''Original Recordings'')(1969) *Lindisfarne: ''

'' (1972), ''

Dingly Dell ''Dingly Dell'' is a 1972 album by English rock band Lindisfarne. Production The album was produced by and mixed by Bob Johnston, who had also worked on the earlier No. 1 album ''Fog on the Tyne''. However, the band were unhappy with the album ...

'' (1972) *

Esther Ofarim Esther Zaied, better known by her married name Esther Ofarim ( he, אסתר עופרים; born June 13, 1941), is an Israeli singer. She came second in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " T'en va pas", representing Switzerland. Aft ...

: ''Esther Ofarim'' (1972), He is also credited as the composer of "You're always looking for the rainbow" on this album. * Graham Bell: ''Graham Bell'' (1972) * Michael Murphey: '' Geronimo's Cadillac'' (1973), ''

Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir ''Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir'' is the second album by American singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey. According to '' AllMusic'', this album established Murphey as a progressive country musician. Murphey's impact on the genre was as such that one ...

'' (1973), '' Michael Murphey'' (1973), '' Blue Sky - Night Thunder'' (1975), '' Swans Against the Sun'' (1976) *

Hoyt Axton Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voic ...

: ''Less Than the Song'' (1973), ''Road Songs'' (1977) *

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...

: ''

Rainbow Race ''Rainbow Race'' is the fourth studio album by Pete Seeger and was released in 1971 on the Columbia Records label. The cover photograph was by David Gahr David Gahr (September 18, 1922 – May 25, 2008) was an American photographer. He was bo ...

'' (1973), ''Link in the Chain'' (1996) *

Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...

: ''

Attempted Mustache ''Attempted Mustache'' is the fourth album from Loudon Wainwright III. It was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Bob Johnston and was released in 1973 on Columbia Records. Wainwright said that "I Am the Way" was partly inspired by ...

'' (1973) * Tracy Nelson: '' Tracy Nelson'' (1974), ''

Sweet Soul Music "Sweet Soul Music" is a soul song, first released by Arthur Conley in 1967. Written by Conley and Otis Redding, it is based on the Sam Cooke song "Yeah Man" from his posthumous album '' Shake''; the opening riff is a quote from Elmer Bernstein's ...

'' (1975) *

New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. The band is sometimes referred t ...

: ''

Oh, What a Mighty Time ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' is an album by the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Their sixth studio album and their seventh album overall, it was released by Columbia Records in 1975. ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' was produced ...

'' (1975), '' New Riders'' (1976), '' Who Are Those Guys?'' (1977) *

Alvin Lee Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Early life He w ...

: ''Rocket Fuel'' (1978) *

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

: '' Give Thankx'' (1978) *

Joe Ely Joe Ely (born February 9, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose music touches on honky-tonk, Texas Country, Tex-Mex and rock and roll. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tup ...

: ''Down on the Drag'' (1979) *

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...

: ''Bottom Line'' (1979) *

The Waterboys The Waterboys are a folk rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1983 by Scottish musician Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Mike Scott has remained ...

: '' Fisherman's Blues'' (1988) (on 2013 box set Johnston produced 15 tracks) *

: '' The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'' (1992) *

: '' Go Cat Go!'' (1996) * Eron Falbo: ''73'' (2013) *Hector Ward and The Big Time: ''Evolution: Live at the Saxon Pub'' (2016)

References

External links

Bob Johnston official website
*

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Bob 1932 births 2015 deaths Record producers from Texas Songwriters from Texas Johnny Cash Leonard Cohen Bob Dylan People from Fort Worth, Texas Simon & Garfunkel 20th-century Canadian male musicians People from Hillsboro, Texas Majestic Records artists

Early days

Elvis and Joy Byers

Columbia Records: Dylan, Cash, and Cohen

Independent producer

Death

Selective discography as producer

References

Further reading

External links