Buddy Johnson
With his sister Ella seductively serving for decades as his primary vocalist, pianist Buddy Johnson led a large jump blues band that enjoyed tremendous success during the 1940s and '50s. The suave bandleader spotlighted a series of talented singers, including balladeers Arthur Prysock, Nolan Lewis, and Floyd Ryland, but it was Ella's understated delivery (beautifully spotlighted on the sumptuous ballad "Since I Fell for You") and Buddy's crisply danceable "Walk-Em Rhythm" that made the aggregation so successful for so long.
Buddy began taking piano lessons at age four. Although he specialized professionally in tasty R&B, classical music remained one of his passions. In 1939, Buddy Johnson waxed his first 78 for Decca, "Stop Pretending (So Hep You See)." Shortly thereafter, Ella joined her older brother; her delicious vocal on "Please Mr. Johnson" translated into long-term employment.
Buddy had assembled a nine-piece orchestra by 1941 and visited the R&B charts often for Decca during wartime with "Let's Beat Out Some Love," "Baby Don't You Cry," the chart-topping "When My Man Comes Home," and "That's the Stuff You Gotta Watch." Ella cut her beloved rendering of "Since I Fell for You" in 1945, a year after Buddy waxed his jiving gem "Fine Brown Frame."
In addition to their frequent jaunts on the R&B hit parade, the Johnson organization barnstormed the country to sellout crowds throughout the '40s. Buddy moved over to Mercury Records in 1953 and scored more smashes with Ella's "Hittin' on Me" and "I'm Just Your Fool," the latter a 1954 standout that was later purloined by Chicago harpist Little Walter.
Rock & roll eventually halted Buddy Johnson's momentum, but his band (tenor saxophonist Purvis Henson was a constant presence in the reed section) kept recording for Mercury through 1958, switched to Roulette the next year, and bowed out with a solitary session for Hy Weiss' Old Town label in 1964.
Singer Lenny Welch ensured the immortality of "Since I Fell for You" when his velvety rendition of the Johnson-penned ballad reached the uppermost reaches of the pop charts in 1963. It was a perfect match of song and singer; Welch's smooth, assured delivery would have fit in snugly with the Johnson band during its heyday a couple of decades earlier.
© Bill Dahl /TiVo
-
Presenting Buddy Johnson
Blues - Editado por Universal Digital Enterprises el 11-02-1939
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
No More Troubles With Music
Jazz - Editado por No More Troubles With Music TM el 01-07-2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Complete Jazz Series 1939 - 1942
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 30-03-2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1944 - 1952
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 30-03-2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1950 - 1951
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 30-03-2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1947 - 1949
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 30-03-2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Buddy and Ella's Greatest Hits
Jazz - Editado por Excess Music el 01-01-2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Archives Presents: Buddy Johnson at the Savoy Ballroom (1945-1946)
Jazz - Editado por Jazz Archives el 24-01-2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Since I Feel for You
Blues - Editado por Redwood Records el 10-04-2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Complete Jazz Series 1942 - 1947
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 30-03-2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
King of the Savoy (Remastered)
Blues - Editado por Master Tape Records el 22-05-2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
New Music In There
Jazz - Editado por New Muzik In There Rec. el 02-07-2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Buddy Johnson
Jazz - Editado por Platinum Collection el 01-01-2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Like You Do: The Old Town EP
R&B - Editado por Old Town Records el 08-08-2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
You'll Get Them Blues
Jazz - Editado por Redwood Records el 14-04-2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
How I Feel About You
Jazz - Editado por Reminisce Music el 17-03-2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In There
Jazz - Editado por Black & Partner Licenses LLC el 01-01-2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
And All that Jazz (Live)
Jazz - Editado por RMP Global Ltd el 12-08-2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo