Roy Lee Johnson (born December 31, 1938) is an American R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

songwriter, singer and guitarist. He is best known for his composition " Mr. Moonlight", which has been covered by many artists, including

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

. Johnson is recognized as an influence on the bands that made up the British Invasion. He was born in Centralhatchee, Georgia,Martin Goggin, ''The Story of 'Mr Moonlight', Roy Lee Johnson'', ''

Juke Blues ''Juke Blues'' is a British magazine covering blues, R&B, gospel, soul, zydeco and jazz. It was established in 1985 in London by Cilla Huggins, John Broven and Bez Turner, and is now published in Bath, Somerset, England. Cilla Huggins has been so ...

'' no.59, 2005, pp.16-23 and began playing guitar as a child. Around 1955, he joined his first band, The Brassettes, who included Robert Ward and who played local dances in and around Hogansville. After the band won a talent contest in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, they recorded Johnson's song, "Nobody Does Something For Nothing", for the small Stat label. In the late 1950s, Johnson moved to

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, joining Ward in the Ohio Untouchables. However, by 1961 he had returned to Atlanta, and began playing in

Piano Red Willie Lee Perryman (October 19, 1911 – July 25, 1985), usually known professionally as Piano Red and later in life as Dr. Feelgood, was an American blues musician, the first to hit the pop music charts. He was a self-taught pianist who played ...

's band, the Interns. His song "Mister Moonlight", which he had written in high school, was first recorded by Piano Red, credited as "Dr. Feelgood and the Interns", and released in 1962 as the b-side of "Doctor Feel-Good" on

OKeh Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

4-7144. Johnson left the Interns in about 1963, and released his first solo record, "Too Many Tears", on OKeh that year. Neither it nor its follow-up, a reworked "Nobody Does Something For Nothing", were successful. However, in 1964 the Beatles covered "Mr. Moonlight" on the album ''

Beatles for Sale ''Beatles for Sale'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 4 December 1964 in the United Kingdom on EMI's Parlophone label. The album marked a departure from the upbeat tone that had characterised ...

'' (on ''

Beatles '65 ''Beatles '65'' is an album by the English rock band the Beatles that was issued in the United States and Canada in December 1964. Released as the North American alternative to ''Beatles for Sale'', it was the band's fifth studio album culled by ...

'' in the US), the success of which allowed Johnson to form his own band. He recorded three singles for Columbia Records in 1966-67, including "My Best Just Ain’t Good Enough", and another single for the Josie label.

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

, for whom he had previously been a support act, then introduced him to

Phil Walden Phil Walden (January 11, 1940 – April 23, 2006) was a co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based Capricorn Records, along with former Atlantic Records executive Frank Fenter. Biography Walden received his undergraduate degree in economics from M ...

, who recorded three singles with him in 1968 at the FAME Studios in

Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

, featuring the studio rhythm section. The singles included "Cheer Up, Daddy’s Coming Home" and "Take Me Back And Try Me", but again were not hits. He then formed a new band, Roy Lee Johnson & The Villagers, who recorded a self-titled album for

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

in 1973, influenced by the funk style of James Brown. However, the band broke up after the sudden death of 21-year-old bass player Michael James. He continued to release occasional singles in the late 1970s and 1980s, setting up his own studio and continue to perform with various bands. In the early 1990s, tracks he had recorded were released in England as the album ''All Night Long'' (Howzat LBW1). He released another album, '' When a Guitar Plays the Blues'', in 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Roy Lee 1938 births Living people People from Heard County, Georgia African-American male singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues guitarists American male guitarists American rhythm and blues singers American soul singers American rock songwriters Stax Records artists Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American guitarists African-American guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)