Sylvester Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson; July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

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 att ...

singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), " Is It Because I'm Black" (1969) and " Take Me to the River" (1975).

Biography

Early life and recording debut

Born near

Holly Springs, Mississippi Holly Springs is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Mississippi, United States, near the southern border of Tennessee. Near the Mississippi Delta, the area was developed by European Americans for cotton plantations and was d ...

, the sixth child of a harmonica-playing farmer, he moved with his family in about 1950 to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, where blues guitarist Magic Sam was his next-door neighbor. Mark Winegardner, "Syl Johnson", ''Oxford American'', November 21, 2011
Retrieved February 8, 2022 Johnson sang and played with Magic Sam and other blues artists, such as Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

, in the 1950s. He recorded with

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...

for Vee-Jay in 1959, and – after label owner Syd Nathan suggested he change his name from Thompson to Johnson – made his solo debut that same year with "Teardrops" on Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar. However, Johnson's recordings for King and Federal met with little success, and he also kept a day job as a truck driver.

1960s: Career at Twinight Records

After several years recording for small local labels, and performing regularly in local clubs, Johnson began recording for Twilight/Twinight of Chicago in the mid-1960s. Beginning with his first hit, "Come On Sock It to Me", in 1967, he dominated the label as both a hit-maker and a producer. His song "Different Strokes", also from 1967, is included on the

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and U ...

compilation album, ''

Ultimate Breaks and Beats ''Ultimate Breaks and Beats'' (also commonly abbreviated as UBB) was a series of 25 compilation albums released from 1986 to 1991 by Street Beat Records edited by "BreakBeat Lou" Flores. Featured on the albums were tracks from 1966 to 1984 that ...

'' (SBR 504), and some years later was sampled on many hip hop tracks. Both "Come On Sock It to Me" and "Different Strokes" featured on Johnson's debut LP, ''Dresses Too Short'', in 1968. Like other black songwriters of the period, Johnson wrote songs exploring themes of African-American identity and social problems, such as " Is It Because I'm Black", which reached number 11 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' R&B chart in 1969. The song has been described as "among the most affecting of the

civil rights era The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

,"Ben Beaumont-Thomas, "Syl Johnson, much-sampled blues, funk and soul singer, dies aged 85", ''The Guardian'', 6 February 2022
Retrieved February 8, 2022 and provided the title track of his second album.

1970s: Hi Records and Willie Mitchell

In 1971, the producer Willie Mitchell brought Johnson to

Hi Records Hi Records is an American soul music and rockabilly label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent partne ...

. Together they recorded three albums, which generated a number of singles. Produced in Memphis with the Hi house band, these albums contained the hits "We Did It", "Back for a Taste of Your Love" and " Take Me to the River", his biggest success, reaching number 7 on the R&B chart in 1975, and first recorded as an album track by labelmate

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

. However, at Hi Records, Johnson was always to some extent in the shadow of Al Green, commercially if not artistically. Mitchell also chose to use mainly in-house compositions rather than Johnson's original songs. According to

Robert Pruter Robert Douglas Pruter (born July 1, 1944) is an American writer, mainly on soul and rhythm and blues music, and on sports. He was the rhythm and blues editor of '' Goldmine'' magazine from 1985 to 2006. Career In 1969, he was hired as an assist ...

, "His output on the label was of a consistently higher quality than his Twinight work. In most respects, the Hi material possessed better melodies, had more rhythmic punch, and were just better produced." Reviewing one of his last albums for Hi, 1976's ''Total Explosion'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981): "Johnson has tended to disappear in between Willie Mitchell and Al Green, but on this LP he takes his harmonica up to the microphone and stands clear as a lapsed bluesman. Good move. His voice is still shriller, and more strained than Green's, but that can be a satisfying distinction in the right context."

1980s: Retirement

After his years with Hi ended, Johnson produced two LPs for his own Shama label, the second of which, the soul/funk ''Ms. Fine Brown Frame'' (1982), was picked up for distribution by Boardwalk Records. The title track of that album was Johnson's last hit record. Around the mid-1980s, Johnson mostly retired from performing, making only occasional appearances at blues clubs.Pruter, Robert. Liner notes to the album ''Back in the Game''. At that time, he opened a chain of seafood restaurants, and began investing in real estate."A Big Box for an Overlooked R&B Career,"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', December 2, 2010.

1990s: Return to music

In 1992, Johnson found out that his song "Different Strokes" had been sampled by several rappers, including

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and a ...

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

, and the

Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earni ...

. This stimulated his interest in making a comeback in the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

. He recorded the album '' Back in the Game'', released by Delmark Records in 1994, which featured the

Hi Rhythm Section The Hi Rhythm Section was the house band for hit soul albums by several artists, including Al Green and Ann Peebles, on Willie Mitchell's Hi Records label in the 1970s. The band included the three Hodges brothers, organist Charles Hodges, bassi ...

and his youngest daughter, Syleena Johnson. Johnson was one of the most sampled artists, largely from "Different Strokes" and "Is It Because I'm Black". He felt passionately that taking music from an original artist without proper compensation constituted theft, and he sued other artists for copyright infringement.

''Any Way the Wind Blows'' documentary

The 2015 documentary ''Any Way the Wind Blows'', directed by Rob Hatch-Miller, premiered at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

. It takes its inspiration from events in the life of this "mostly forgotten" (according to

Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biography Marcus wa ...

) soul singer from the 1970s seeking a second attempt at a career. While his records were being sampled by artists from Wu-Tang Clan to

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician ...

, to

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, Johnson often found himself with neither credit nor money.

Personal life and death

Johnson was the brother of blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson and bassist Mack Thompson. In 2017, he appeared in an episode of the TV One reality series '' R&B Divas: Atlanta'', in which he offered advice and encouragement to his daughter Syleena before she gave a live performance. Johnson and his family appeared on the American reality television series '' Iyanla: Fix My Life'', by the request of his daughter Syleena, to help her mother's alcohol addiction. He died of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

, at the home of one of his daughters, in Mableton, Georgia, on February 6, 2022, at the age of 85, six days after the death of his older brother Jimmy.

Selected discography

Albums

* 1968: ''Dresses Too Short'' ( Twinight) * 1970: ''Is It Because I'm Black?'' (Twinight) * 1973: ''Back for a Taste of Your Love'' ( Hi) * 1974: ''Diamond in the Rough'' (Hi) * 1975: ''Total Explosion'' (Hi) * 1979: ''Uptown Shakedown'' (Hi) * 1982: ''Ms. Fine Brown Frame'' (

Boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of br ...

33260) * 1994: '' Back in the Game'' ( Delmark) * 1995: ''Music to My Ears'' (Hi) * 1995: ''This Time Together by Father and Daughter'' (Twinight) with Syleena Johnson * 1995: ''Bridge to a Legacy'' ( Antone's) * 1999: ''Talkin' About Chicago'' (Delmark) * 2000: ''Hands of Time'' ( Hep-Me Records) * 2002: ''Two Johnsons Are Better Than One'' (

Evangeline ''Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie'' is an epic poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in English and published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during t ...

) with Jimmy Johnson * 2003: ''Straight Up'' ( P-Vine PCD-25004, Japan) * 2013: ''Syl Johnson with Melody Whittle, Featuring Syleena Johnson'' (Twinight 4086-CD2) * 2017: ''My Funky Funky Band'' ( Numero)

Compilations

* 2000: ''The Complete Syl Johnson on Hi Records'' (

Demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...

, UK) * 2010: ''Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology'' (Numero Group) * 2012: ''Backbeats Artists Series: Syl Johnson: Mississippi Mainman'' (Backbeats)

Chart singles

References

External links

* * *
The complete Syl Johnson discography at Soul Express

Syl Johnson Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2013)

Syl Johnson
(interviewed May 30, 2010)
''Syl Johnson: Any Way The Wind Blows''
documentary * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Syl 1936 births 2022 deaths American soul musicians American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues harmonica players American blues singers African-American guitarists Blues musicians from Illinois Blues musicians from Mississippi People from Holly Springs, Mississippi Hi Records artists Guitarists from Chicago Guitarists from Mississippi 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians P-Vine Records artists 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people Disease-related deaths in Georgia (U.S. state)