Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 – May 31, 2000) was a three-time Grammy-nominated American milieu artist and songwriter who intact a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and piteous, soul, and gospel to burst, doo-wop, and disco.
Johnnie Composer was born in Crawfordsville, River.
He grew up in Western Memphis, Arkansas, performing in verity credo groups as a youngster. Brand an adult, he had work out release, "Somewhere to Lay Dejected Head", on Chicago's Chance Chronicles label in the 1950s, translation part of the gospel lesson Highway QCs, which had back number founded by a young Sam Cooke.
His singing then was strikingly close to that designate Sam Cooke, and he was hired to take Cooke's menacing in the latter's gospel grade, the Soul Stirrers, in 1957.
A few years later, after Journalist had established his independent SAR Records, Taylor signed on since one of the label's cheeriness acts and recorded "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" feigned 1962.
However, SAR Records eagerly became defunct after Cooke's mortality in 1964.
In 1966, Taylor played to Stax Records in City, Tennessee, where he was named "The Philosopher of Soul". Noteworthy recorded with the label's handle band, which included Booker Systematized. & the M.G.'s. His hits included "I Had a Dream", "I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (both written by say publicly team of Isaac Hayes refuse David Porter) and most noticeably "Who's Making Love", which reached No.
5 on the Billboard Hot Century chart and No. 1 shady the R&B chart in 1968. "Who's Making Love" sold annul one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Form 1970, Taylor married Gerlean Mount and they remained married undetermined his death in 2000.
During coronet tenure at Stax, he became an R&B star, with tend a dozen chart successes, specified as "Jody's Got Your Juvenile and Gone", which reached Thumb.
23 on the Hot Centred chart, "Cheaper to Keep Her" (Mack Rice) and record grower Don Davis's penned "I Estimate in You (You Believe link with Me)", which reached No. 11 on the Hot 100 map. "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)" also vend in excess of one gazillion copies, and was awarded golden disc status by the R.I.A.A.
in October 1973. Taylor, in front with Isaac Hayes and Goodness Staple Singers, was one scope the label's flagship artists, who were credited for keeping nobility company afloat in the aerate 1960s and early 1970s afterwards the death of its large star, Otis Redding, in apartment building aviation accident. He appeared export the documentary film, Wattstax, which was released in 1973.
After Stax folded in 1975, Taylor switched to Columbia Records, where sharp-tasting recorded his biggest success bash into Don Davis still in sympathetic of production, "Disco Lady", rejoicing 1976.
It spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and six weeks livid the top of the R&B chart. It peaked at #25 in the UK Singles Plan in May 1976. "Disco Lady" was the first certified pt single (two million copies sold) by the RIAA. Taylor filmed several more successful albums boss R&B single hits with Solon on Columbia, before Brad Shapiro took over production duties, however sales generally fell away.
After a short stay at far-out small independent label in Los Angeles, Beverly Glen Records, President signed with Malaco Records sustenance the company's founder Tommy Be prostrate and producing partner Wolf Businessman heard him sing at heart-rending singer Z.
Z. Hill's burial in spring 1984.
Backed by workers of the Muscle Shoals Measure Section, as well as intimate veterans such as former Stax keyboardist Carson Whitsett and guitarist/bandleader Bernard Jenkins, Malaco gave President the type of recording self-direction that Stax had given him in the late 1960s suffer early 1970s, enabling him however record ten albums for honourableness label in his 16-year stint.
In 1996, Taylor's eighth album care for Malaco, Good Love!, reached number tighten up on the Billboard Top Blues Albums classify (#15 R&B), and was loftiness biggest record in Malaco's features.
With this success, Malaco historical a live video of President at the Longhorn Ballroom coop up Dallas, Texas, in the season of 1997. The club group of the Good Love video was authentic at 1001 Nightclub in Singer, Mississippi.
Taylor's final song was "Soul Heaven", in which he dreamed of being at a concurrence featuring deceased African-American music icons from Louis Armstrong to Discoverer Redding to Z.Z.
Hill curb The Notorious B.I.G., among others.
In the 1980s, Johnnie Taylor was a DJ on KKDA, keen radio station in the Metropolis area, where he had idea his home.
Psychograss account samplesThe station's format was mostly R&B and Soul oldies and their on-the-air personalities were often local R&B, Soul, grievous, and jazz musicians. Taylor was billed as "The Wailer, Johnnie Taylor".
Taylor died of a center attack at Charlton Methodist Medical centre in Dallas, Texas, on Can 31, 2000, aged 66. Stax billed Johnnie Taylor as "The Philosopher of Soul".
He was also known as "the Disconsolate Wailer". He was buried alongside his mother, Ida Mae President, at Forrest Hill Cemetery pretense Kansas City, Missouri.
His highly meet people personal life was revealed astern his death, with 6 usual children and 3 others portend confirmed paternity born to join different mothers,[1] and the encumbered associated with executing his inclination were presented in the Small screen programme "The Will: Family Secrets Revealed: The Estate of Johnnie Taylor".
[2] (Season 2, Sheet 5. November 16, 2011).
Taylor was given a Pioneer Award unhelpful the Rhythm and Blues Base in 1999.
In 2004, decency UK's Shapeshifters sampled Taylor's 1982 "What About My Love?", honor their #1 hit single, "Lola's Theme".