Wesley Johnson known by his stage name Wess (August 13, 1945 — September 21, 2009) was an American-born Italian

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

and

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

ist, perhaps mostly known for representing Italy along with

Dori Ghezzi Dori Ghezzi (born 30 March 1946) is an Italian singer who was active as a recording artist between 1966 and 1989. In the 1970s, Ghezzi worked mainly in a duo with American singer Wess, and the couple represented Italy in the 1975 Eurovision Song ...

at the

Eurovision Song Contest 1975 The Eurovision Song Contest 1975 was the 20th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 22 March 1975 in the in Stockholm, Sweden and presented by Karin Falck. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (SR ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, placing third with the song "

Era An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

". Originally from North Carolina, Wess moved to Italy in the 1960s in pursuit of a musical career. He formed a successful duo with Ghezzi and achieved some hits in Italy, such as "Voglio stare con te", "Come stai? Con chi sei?" and " Un corpo e un'anima". Wess also was a singer and played bass guitar for the soul-funk band Wess & The Airedales in the 1960s and early 1970s. He died in 2009 in New York during his United States tour when a breathing crisis led to his death.

Personal life

He was the father of Deborah Johnson and UK-based R&B singer Romina Johnson, who often accompanied him as a backing singer.

In popular media

In its winter 2018 issue, ''

Oxford American The ''Oxford American'' is a quarterly magazine that focuses on the American South. First publication The magazine was founded in late 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by Marc Smirnoff (born July 11, 1963). The name "Oxford American" is a play on ' ...

'' magazine published an essay about Johnson's life as a young performer in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and how his earliest experiences affected his career in Italy.

References

External links

Discography of Wess JohnsonDiscography of Wess & The Airedales
1945 births 2009 deaths Italian people of African-American descent American male bass guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century Italian male singers 20th-century bass guitarists American expatriates in Italy American expatriate musicians 20th-century American bass guitarists London Records artists United Artists Records artists African-American guitarists Eurovision Song Contest entrants {{Italy-musician-stub

Personal life

In popular media

See also

References

External links