Jellybean Johnson | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Garry George Johnson |
| Born | November 19, 1956 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | |
Garry George "Jellybean" Johnson (born November 19, 1956) is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, record producer and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. [1]
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As a youth, Johnson relocated from Chicago to Minneapolis. [2] He received drum lessons at age 13 and two years later began teaching himself guitar. [2] He attended Marshall-University High School, where he played on its basketball team, then attended the University of Minnesota. [2]
As the drummer for the Time, [3] Johnson worked alongside famed producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and recorded with and/or produced many notable artists including Alexander O'Neal, Cherrelle, New Edition and Janet Jackson, with whom he had the 1990 #1 single, "Black Cat".
After the breakup of the Time, Johnson worked as a producer, musician as well as songwriter and became a long-time associate of Flyte Tyme productions. His first assignment was Alexander O'Neal's #11 R&B hit "Innocent" (produced by fellow Time bandmates Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis). On this track, he was not only the drummer, but delivered the guitar solos for the second half of the ten-minute long song. From this recording forward, Johnson became an in-demand session guitarist, drummer and percussionist. He also produced a number of hits for the aforementioned as well as New Edition, and helmed Mint Condition's 1991 debut album Meant to Be Mint.
Johnson re-joined the Time for the Prince feature film Graffiti Bridge and its accompanying Time album, Pandemonium. Shortly after, Johnson returned to touring with Morris Day, while continuing to produce emerging artists and work as a session player.
In 2008, he collaborated with Rihanna at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, [4] then began work on his solo debut. Following the unexpected death of Prince in 2016, Johnson halted production. He returned to the Grammy Stage for both the 2017 tribute and the 2020 Salute To Prince, and finally released the album Get Experienced in 2021. [2]
In 2022, Johnson founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum. [5] That same year, he and fellow members of The Time were awarded a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award. [6]
Johnson is 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and played competitive basketball as a teenager. [2]
He has seven offspring. [2]
Alexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from Natchez, Mississippi.
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with various artists, most extensively Janet Jackson. They have written 31 top ten hits in the UK and 41 in the US. In 2022, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category.
The Time, also known as Morris Day and the Time and The Original 7ven, is an American funk rock band founded in Minneapolis in 1981. They contributed to the development of the Minneapolis sound, an eclectic fusion of funk, R&B, new wave, synth-pop and dance. Led by singer-songwriter Morris Day, the band members are known for having been close associates of musician Prince, and are arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him, achieving success with singles such as "Get It Up", "The Bird", "Cool", "777-9311", "Jungle Love" and "Jerk Out".
The Family was a band formed by Prince, and one of the first signed to Prince's record label, Paisley Park Records. The band reformed as fDeluxe in 2011. This band should not be confused with a 1970s Minneapolis R&B band of the same name.
Pandemonium is the fourth studio album by American band The Time released in 1990. Much like the three previous albums, the album consists of music in the funk rock genre, although this album breaks the Time's six-song album tradition. The album is a tie-in with the film Graffiti Bridge, and several songs from the album appear in the film.
The Minneapolis sound is a subgenre of funk rock with elements of new wave and synth-pop, that was pioneered by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based musicians Prince and André Cymone in the late 1970s. Its popularity was given a boost throughout the 1980s by Prince and groups he organized or produced, including the Time, Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, Sheila E., the Family, and the offshoots from his band the Revolution, Wendy & Lisa and Brownmark. After leaving the Time, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Morris Day, and Jesse Johnson all moved on to successful careers. Minnesota acts indirectly associated with or not associated with Prince also utilized this musical style, including Ta Mara & the Seen, Mazarati and the Jets.
Lo-Key? is an American hip hop/R&B band that formed in Kansas City, Missouri and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their single, "I Got a Thang 4 Ya!" (1993), reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, and No. 27 on the Hot 100.
Lisa Keith, currently known as Lisa Bernard, is an American contemporary/pop singer, probably best known for her work as a backing vocalist for other artists and lead vocalist on Herb Alpert's hit single from 1987, "Making Love in the Rain". In 1993 she released her solo debut album, Walkin' in the Sun on Perspective Records; which featured production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Narada Michael Walden and Keith's husband Spencer Bernard. The first single "Better Than You" peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the follow-up single "I'm in Love" reached No. 84.
Monte Moir is an American songwriter, producer and musician best known as the keyboardist of Morris Day's band The Time and songwriter of many notable American artists.
Sands of Time is the sixth album by the R&B band the S.O.S. Band, released on the Tabu label in April 1986. It was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. This would be the last album to feature original lead singer Mary Davis before she left the group to embark on a solo career.
Flyte Tyme was a funk band from Minneapolis that launched the careers of vocalists Cynthia Johnson, Alexander O'Neal and producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Many of the group's musicians would later work with Prince. The band's name is a sensational spelling of the phrase "flight time."
Daydreaming is the second album by American R&B/pop singer Morris Day, released in 1987 on Warner Bros. Records. It is the follow-up to Day's debut album, Color of Success, featured are two collaborations with Day's former band, The Time minus Monte Moir. One of these was the hit "Fishnet", which was produced with Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Hearsay is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Alexander O'Neal. It was released on July 29, 1987 by Tabu and Epic as the follow-up to O'Neal's critically and commercially successful studio album Alexander O'Neal (1985). Hearsay explores similar genres to those of Alexander O'Neal including pop, R&B, soul, post-disco, funk, and adult contemporary music, while also incorporating a newer genre, new jack swing. The songs were recorded from 1986 to 1987 in sessions that took place at Flyte Time Productions, Inc. Studio A & B in Minneapolis, Minnesota, assisted by R&B songwriting and record production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It features contributions from guest musicians, including Cherrelle, David Eiland, and Lisa Keith, and is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of O'Neal's early work.
"The Lovers" is a song written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and recorded by American recording artist Alexander O'Neal. It is the fourth single from the singer's second solo album, Hearsay (1987). The song's distinctive backing vocals were performed by Cherrelle and Lisa Keith. Following the successful chart performances of the Hearsay singles "Fake", "Criticize", and "Never Knew Love Like This", "The Lovers" was released as the album's fourth single.
Mo' Money: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1992 film of the same name. It was released June 23, 1992, on Perspective Records. The soundtrack peaked at six on the Billboard 200 chart. By September 1992, it was certified platinum in sales by the RIAA, after sales exceeding 1,000,000 copies in the United States.
Condensate is the fifth studio album by the American funk ensemble The Original 7ven, formerly known as The Time. Released on October 18, 2011, the album was the group's first release in 21 years. Condensate peaked at number 58 on the US Billboard 200 album chart and number 10 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. "#Trendin" was also released as a single and reached number 77 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Meant to Be Mint is the debut studio album of R&B band Mint Condition. The album was released on June 11, 1991, on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' A&M imprint Perspective Records. Meant to Be Mint reached to no. 13 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
From the Mint Factory is the second studio album by American R&B band Mint Condition. The album was released on October 5, 1993, on Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis' record label Perspective Records. The album peaked and charted at number 104 on the Billboard 200 and number 18 on the Top R&B Albums chart.
Alexander O'Neal is the debut solo studio album by American recording artist Alexander O'Neal. It was originally released in 1985 by Tabu and Epic. The songs were recorded during 1984 to 1985 in sessions that took place at Creation Audio in Minnesota, and Larrabee Sound in Los Angeles, California, assisted by R&B songwriting and record production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
This Thing Called Love: The Greatest Hits of Alexander O'Neal is a compilation album by American recording artist Alexander O'Neal, released in 1992 by Tabu Records. It includes tracks from three of O'Neal's previous studio albums: Alexander O'Neal (1985), Hearsay (1987) and All True Man (1991).
The Time, the seven-man Minneapolis funk band featured in the Prince movie "Purple Rain," are reuniting, 18 years after their last studio album. The band members are (from left) Jimmy Jam, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton, Morris Day, Terry Lewis, Monte Noir, and Jellybean Johnson
Suited up for a comeback: Jimmy Jam (front left), Jellybean Johnson and Morris Day
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