Todays Featured Blues Artist: Todays Featured Blues Artist - Syl Johnson

Todays Featured Blues Artist: Todays Featured Blues Artist - Syl Johnson

Syl Johnson (born July 1, 1936) is an American blues and soul singer and record producer.

Born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States, he migrated with his family to Chicago in 1950; blues guitarist Magic Sam was his next-door neighbor. Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf in the 1950s, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.

He then began recording for Twinight Records of Chicago in the mid 1960s. Beginning with his first hit, "Come On Sock It to Me" in 1967, Johnson dominated the label as both a hitmaker and producer. His song "Different Strokes", also from 1967, featured on the Ultimate Breaks and Beats breakbeat compilation.

Like other black songwriters of the period, several of his records at this time explored themes of African-American identity and social problems in songs including
 "Is It Because I'm Black", which reached;
 Number 11 in the US Billboard R&B chart in 1969.

In 1971, Willie Mitchell brought Johnson to Hi Records, the two recording three albums which spawned a number of singles. Produced in Memphis with the Hi house band, these yielded 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. However, at Hi Records, Johnson was always to some extent in Al Green's shadow commercially, if not artistically. Mitchell also chose to use mainly in-house material rather than Johnson originals.

After the Hi years ended, Johnson produced two LPs for his own Shama label, the latter of which (Ms. Fine Brown Frame, 1982) was picked up for distribution by Boardwalk Records and produced Johnson's last hit record, the title cut.

Around the mid-1980s, Johnson started a fast-food fish restaurant business, and became semi-retired from performing, only making occasional appearances at blues club gigs.

In 1992, Johnson found out that his song "Different Strokes" had been sampled by number of rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Kool G Rap, Hammer, and the Geto Boys. Stimulated by this fact, he decided to make a comeback in the music industry. In 1994, he released the album Back in the Game on Delmark Records. The album featured the Hi rhythm section and his youngest daughter Syleena Johnson.

Blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson, and bassist Mack Thompson are his brothers.

Source and Additional Info Here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syl_Johnson

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Today is Sunday, May 27th, 2012;  the middle of our nations 3-day holiday weekend and boy does it feel great to be home from work knowing that tomorrow we do not have to go into work.  I have to assume that you all agree with me on this one. 

All us musicians can devote some time to our practice sessions before spending valuable time with friends and families at the neighborhood cookouts or whatever you have planned for the holiday.  Either way, the vast majority of us won' t be working tomorrow and that is a real blessing.

I hope you enjoyed this article on this American blues artist, Syl Johnson, he's only one of many, many more who I'll attempt to introduce to you over the next few months.  I hope you stay tuned and decide to Join My Blog and Follow Me along this journey;  I certainly appreciate your patronage.

Well, until then . . . ,

Musician by Night

"Help Keep The Blues Alive"