Chairmen of the Board -

Chairmen of the Board were an American soul trio from Detroit that released four albums between 1970 and 1974 on Invictus. They scored a pop crossover hit with their debut single “Give Me Just a Little More Time,” followed with “Pay to the Piper” and the R&B hits “(You’ve Got Me) Dangling on a String,” “Hanging on to a Memory,” “Men Are Getting Scarce,” “Elmo James,” and “Finder’s Keepers.”

After lead vocalist General Johnson broke for a solo career, the band reconvened for five further albums between 1980 and 1993 on Surfside Records.

Members: General Johnson (vocals, 1969-76, 1978-2010), Danny Woods (vocals, 1969-76, 1978-2010), Harrison Kennedy (vocals, 1969-76), Eddie Custis (vocals, 1969-71), Ken Knox (vocals, 1978-present)

Background

Chairmen of the Board formed in Detroit in 1968 when Holland-Dozier-Holland built an Invictus vocal group around singer-songwriter General Norman Johnson with three additional singers: Eddie Custis, Danny Woods, and Canadian transplant Harrison Kennedy.

Johnson was born General Norman Johnson on May 23, 1943, in Norfolk, Virginia; his father worked in the Navy yards and sang gospel, and Johnson sang in church before he formed the Humdingers as a child. Under manager Noah Biggs, the Humdingers traveled to New Orleans, cut unreleased Atlantic sides, and became the Showmen after producer Allen Toussaint placed them at Minit Records. The Showmen reached the charts with “It Will Stand” in 1961 and continued through the decade.

Woods had already worked beside Johnson in the Showmen before the Detroit move. Custis entered the lineup with prior vocal-group credits in Lee Andrews & The Hearts and Huey “Piano” Smith & The Clowns. Kennedy came from Hamilton, Ontario, where he had sung in the Stewart Memorial Church Choir and later worked with Toronto performers the Stone Soul Children before an impromptu Detroit audition put him before Eddie Holland, Brian Holland, and Lamont Dozier.

Holland-Dozier-Holland had left Motown in 1967 and established Invictus and Hot Wax as Detroit labels under their own control. The three producers positioned Chairmen of the Board as an Invictus group whose four singers could each carry lead parts.

Give Me Just a Little More Time

Chairmen of the Board released their debut album, The Chairmen of the Board, in 1970 on Invictus; the LP later appeared as Give Me Just a Little More Time.

The album presents Detroit vocal soul and arranged pop-soul, performed by vocalists General Johnson, Danny Woods, Eddie Custis, and Harrison Kennedy. Chairmen of the Board contains eight originals and four cover versions, including popular songs by The Beatles (“Come Together”), Traffic (“Feelin’ Alright”), and Frank Sinatra (“My Way”).

“Give Me Just a Little More Time” rattles through a broken backbeat and pinched high lead, with group replies answering each title plea. “Come Together” grinds the outside song into heavier ensemble punctuation and clipped title phrases. “Bless You” surges through a fast devotional refrain, with short answered phrases around the repeated address.

“Patches” slows with earnest narrative address, then binds the father’s dying command to a heartfelt title cry. “(You’ve Got Me) Dangling on a String” clips its brisk meter around drop/noose images, with Danny Woods and General Johnson sharing the lead line. “Tricked & Trapped” circles trapped-lover language through tighter title punctuation.

A1. “Give Me Just a Little More Time” (2:38) – Wayne, Dunbar
A2. “Come Together” (3:50) – Lennon, McCartney
A3. “Bless You” (2:49) – Johnson, Dunbar
A4. “Patches” (3:31) – Johnson, Dunbar
A5. “Since the Days of Pigtails & Fairytales” (2:41) – Wayne, Dunbar
A6. “I’ll Come Crawling” (2:38) – Wayne, Dunbar

B1. “(You’ve Got Me) Dangling on a String” (3:00) – Wayne, Dunbar
B2. “Bravo, Hooray” (3:12) – Johnson
B3. “Didn’t We” (2:41) – Jimmy Webb
B4. “Feelin’ Alright?” (3:40) – Dave Mason
B5. “My Way” (3:57) – François, Revaux, Anka
B6. “Tricked & Trapped” (3:20) – Wayne, Dunbar

HBH Productions, Inc. produced the album at HDH Studios in Detroit. Tony Camillo arranged the album, and Lawrence Horn engineered the sessions.

Give Me Just a Little More Time appeared in a sleeve designed by Roy Kohara with photography by Bob Wortham (front) and John Collier (back).

Invictus lifted “Give Me Just a Little More Time” as a January 1970 single (b/w “Since the Days of Pigtails & Fairytales”), which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 8 on Billboard R&B Singles, and No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

“(You’ve Got Me) Dangling on a String” became an April 1970 single (b/w “I’ll Come Crawling”) and reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 19 on Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles, and No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart.

The album reached No. 133 on Billboard Top LPs and No. 27 on Billboard R&B Albums.

In Session

Chairmen of the Board released their second studio album, In Session, in October 1970 on Invictus.

The album presents Detroit vocal soul and socially pitched pop-soul, performed by vocalists General Johnson, Danny Woods, Eddie Custis, and Harrison Kennedy. In Session mixes group-theme declarations and cover songs, including the Simon & Garfunkel ballad “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” They remake their 1970 tearjerker “Patches,” popularized between albums by Clarence Carter.

“Chairman of the Board” declares its title through compact self-naming calls and business-metaphor lines. “Everything’s Tuesday” bounds through grateful thank-her repetitions and a brisk midtempo cadence. “Pay to the Piper” struts through transactional call-and-response, with “come on” replies pressing against the title refrain. “All We Need Is Understanding” settles into midtempo social address, with generation-versus-parent language landing on the repeated title phrase. “Patches” restates the farm-family narrative in a slower, burdened lead line. “Hanging on to a Memory” lingers at a low tempo around the title phrase and ache-centered refrain.

A1. “Chairman of the Board” (3:34) – Holland, Dozier
A2. “Everything’s Tuesday” (2:48) – Wayne, Dunbar, Dumas
A3. “Pay to the Piper” (3:05) – Bond, Dunbar, Johnson, Perry
A4. “The Twelfth of Never” (3:13) – Livingston, Webster
A5. “All We Need Is Understanding” (2:55) – Wayne, Dunbar
A6. “Patches” (3:22) – Johnson, Dunbar

B1. “It Was Almost Something” (2:41) – Miner, Weatherspoon
B2. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (5:19) – Paul Simon
B3. “Hanging on to a Memory” (4:13) – Wayne, Dunbar, Dumas
B4. “I Can’t Find Myself” (2:33) – Johnson, Perry, Dunbar
B5. “When Will She Tell Me She Needs Me” (3:06) – Wayne, Johnson, Dunbar
B6. “Children of Today” (3:17)

Invictus lifted “Everything’s Tuesday” as a July 1970 single (b/w “Patches”), which reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 14 on Billboard R&B Singles, and No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Pay to the Piper” became an October 1970 single (b/w “Bless You”) and reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 on Billboard R&B Singles, and No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart.

In January 1971, “Chairman of the Board” appeared as a single (b/w “When Will She Tell Me She Needs Me”) and reached No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 10 on Billboard R&B Singles, and No. 48 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Hanging on to a Memory” followed in April (b/w “Tricked and Trapped (By a Tricky Trapper)”) and reached No. 28 on Billboard R&B Singles.

In Session reached No. 117 on Billboard Top LPs and No. 16 on Billboard R&B Albums.

Bittersweet

Chairmen of the Board released their third studio album, Bittersweet, in 1972 on Invictus.

The album presents trio vocal soul and larger-arranged funk-soul, performed by vocalists General Johnson, Danny Woods, and Harrison Kennedy. Johnson and Greg Perry wrote seven of the nine songs; Johnson alone wrote “Weary Traveler.” Holland–Dozier–Holland wrote “Working on a Building of Love.”

“Men Are Getting Scarce” looms over antiwar address, with hard reply phrases answering the sacrifice question. “Working on a Building of Love” chants biblical shelter language into a communal title refrain. “Bittersweet” pleads through dawn-departure lines, guilt phrases, and salt-and-sugar couplets. “I’m a Sign of Changing Times” extends the album’s sermon register into longer declarative address. “Elmo James” sits with the heavier cuts, where the group places rougher lead tone against fuzzy-edged arrangement density.

A1. “Men Are Getting Scarce” (5:21) – Johnson, Perry
A2. “So Glad You’re Mine” (4:15) – Johnson, Perry
A3. “Working on a Building of Love” (3:55) – Holland, Dozier, Holland
A4. “I’m a Sign of Changing Times” (5:42) – Johnson, Perry
A5. “Elmo James” (4:18) – Johnson, Perry

B1. “I’m on My Way to a Better Place” (4:04) – Johnson, Perry
B2. “Bittersweet” (5:09) – Johnson, Perry
B3. “Saginaw County Line” (4:09) – Johnson, Perry
B4. “Weary Traveler” (5:12) – Johnson

General Johnson and Greg Perry produced Bittersweet, with Ronald Dunbar as executive producer. H.B. Barnum and McKinley Jackson arranged the album; Barney Perkins and Ed Redd recorded and mixed the sessions. John Hoernle created the artwork with photography by Richard Rankin.

Invictus issued “Men Are Getting Scarce” as a November 1971 single (b/w “Bravo, Hooray”), which reached No. 33 on Billboard R&B Singles. “Bittersweet” followed in March 1972 (b/w “Elmo James”). In April 1972, “Working on a Building of Love” appeared as a single (b/w “Everybody’s Got a Song to Sing”).

In the UK, “Elmo James” became a September 1972 single (b/w “Bittersweet”) and reached No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart. “I’m on My Way to a Better Place” followed in December 1972 (b/w “So Glad You’re Mine”) and reached No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart.

Skin I’m In

Chairmen of the Board released their fourth studio album, Skin I’m In, in 1974 on Invictus.

The album blends vocal soul with funk-rock arrangements, performed by General Johnson, Danny Woods, and Harrison Kennedy. The album places guitarist Eddie Hazel and keyboardist Bernie Worrell among the supporting players. Side A links “Morning Glory,” both parts of “Life & Death,” and “White Rose (Freedom Flower)” in a suite sequence with low-register figures, Mellotron passages, and synth color.

“Everybody Party All Night” struts through staccato wah-wah guitar and a mid-song synthesizer break, with a direct party chant controlling the refrain. “Skin I’m In” bites into social address, with the title line landing as a hard cadence. “Life & Death” threads its two-part sequence through pulsing motion and Mellotron-synthesizer passages. “Only Love Can Break a Heart” slows into a broad heartbreak address. “Finders Keepers” stomps through horn-line punctuation and keyboard figures, then locks the winners-losers phrase into its closing refrain.

A1. “Everybody Party All Night” (4:00) – Johnson, Bowen
A2. “Skin I’m In” (4:15) – Johnson, Bowen
A3. “Morning Glory” (2:20) – Billy Nelson, Donald Baldwin
A4. “Life & Death Pt. I” (1:36) – Sylvester Stewart
A5. “White Rose (Freedom Flower)” (1:41) – Nelson, Baldwin
A6. “Life & Death Pt. II” (3:44) – Stewart

B1. “Let’s Have Some Fun” (3:43) – Johnson
B2. “Love at First Sight” (3:50) – Johnson
B3. “Only Love Can Break a Heart” (5:30) – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
B4. “Live with Me, Love with Me” (2:36) – Baldwin, Johnson, Bowen
B5. “Finder’s Keepers” (4:00) – Johnson, Bowen

Jeffrey Bowen produced Skin I’m In, arranged by Donald Baldwin in sequence with titles by Freda Payne and The Temptations. Teresa Alfieri designed the cover package with backside member pics by Urve Kuusik. The cover appropriates an image from Vanishing Africa, a collection of East African tribal candid photos taken in 1967/68 by Mirella Ricciardi.

Invictus issued “Finder’s Keepers” as an April 1973 single (b/w “Finder’s Keepers (Instrumental)”), which reached No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 7 on Billboard R&B Singles, and No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Life & Death” followed as a March 1974 single (b/w “Live with Me, Love with Me”) and reached No. 52 on Billboard R&B Singles. “Everybody Party All Night” became a June 1974 single (b/w “Morning Glory (Instrumental)”) and reached No. 80 on Billboard R&B Singles and No. 51 on the UK Singles Chart.

Skin I’m In reached No. 52 on Billboard R&B Albums.

Success

General Johnson and The Chairmen released their first Surfside album, Success, in 1980 on Surfside.

The album presents a reconstituted vocal trio with co-founders General Johnson and Danny Woods with newcomer Ken Knox, who doubles on saxophone. They’re backed by bassist Jack Myers, drummer Jimmy Johnson, keyboardist Warren Moise, and percussionist Jim Brock. General Johnson wrote nine cuts and co-wrote “Pretty Women Everywhere (Hey Baby).”

“Me, My Woman and My Music” strolls through plain domestic address, with the title line tying romance to performance life. “Fool Am I” pleads through self-blame phrases and a slower hurt cadence. “Summer Love” sways across an extended warm-weather address, with the lead line holding the seasonal image in long phrases.

“Pretty Women Everywhere (Hey Baby)” claps through a direct street-corner call, with the “hey baby” refrain answering each pickup line. “On the Beach” coasts through sand-and-pavilion imagery. “Down at the Beach Club” turns the setting into a compact dance-floor chant. “Carolina Girls” struts on regional praise, with repeated title calls and state-pride replies around the lead phrase.

A1. “Me, My Woman and My Music” (4:48)
A2. “Fool Am I” (3:53)
A3. “Summer Love” (5:48)
A4. “Success” (3:54)

B1. “Pretty Women Everywhere (Hey Baby)” (2:42) – Bruce Channel, Margaret Cobb, Johnson
B2. “On the Beach” (3:24)
B3. “Bird in the Hand” (3:25)
B4. “Down at the Beach Club” (2:58)
B5. “Carolina Girls” (3:26)
B6. “I Will Love You More” (3:08)

Johnson produced and arranged Success at Arthur Smith Studios with string arranger Matt Wingard and engineer/mixer H. David Henson. Tom Pope designed the cover package.

Surfside lifted “On the Beach” as a 1980 single (b/w “Pretty Women Everywhere (Hey Baby)”). The label issued “Carolina Girls” as a 1981 single (b/w “Down at the Beach Club”). In 1981, “Summer Love” also appeared as a Surfside single.

A Gift of Beach Music

General Johnson and The Chairmen released their second Surfside album, A Gift of Beach Music, in 1983 on Surfside.

The album presents Carolina beach music in a ten-song sequence built from new Surfside sides and earlier Success material. Johnson, Woods, and Knox frame the program around beach-place titles, direct refrains, and mid-tempo dance cadences. Johnson wrote nine of the ten songs; “Pretty Women Everywhere (Hey Baby)” adds Bruce Channel and Margaret Cobb.

“I’d Rather Be in Carolina” bounds through a homebound refrain, with California and New York references giving way to the repeated return-to-Carolina line. “Beach Fever” shuffles at a steady midtempo clip, with the title phrase fixed to a simple dance setting. “When Can I See You Again” slows into a separation address and lets the question phrase carry the refrain.

“Shag Your Brains Out (Hidee Hidee Hidee Ho Song)” chants through a nonsense-syllable party refrain. “Carolina Girls” reprises the regional praise pattern through repeated title calls. “A Bird in the Hand,” “Summer Love,” “On the Beach,” and “Pretty Women Everywhere (Hey Baby)” place the album’s second side in the same Surfside repertory cycle, with short refrains, direct couplet language, and beach-club settings.

A1. “I’d Rather Be in Carolina” (3:54)
A2. “Beach Fever” (3:43)
A3. “When Can I See You Again” (3:56)
A4. “Down at the Beach Club” (2:58)
A5. “Shag Your Brains Out (Hidee Hidee Hidee Ho Song)” (2:40)

B1. “Carolina Girls” (3:26)
B2. “A Bird in the Hand” (3:25)
B3. “Summer Love” (5:48)
B4. “On the Beach” (3:24)
B5. “Pretty Women Everywhere (Hey Baby)” (2:42) – Bruce Channel, Margaret Cobb, Johnson

Johnson produced and arranged A Gift of Beach Music for Surfside, which preceded the album with “Beach Fever” as a 1982 single (b/w “Bird in the Hand”). In 1983, “I’d Rather Be in Carolina” appeared as a single (b/w “When Can I See You Again”). The label also issued “Shag Your Brains Out” as a two-sided promo single.

The Music

General Johnson and The Chairmen released their third Surfside album, The Music, in 1987 on Surfside.

The album presents boogie-era group soul and Carolina beach material in an eleven-track CD-length sequence. Johnson, Woods, and Knox carry the Surfside format into shorter late-eighties arrangements with clipped refrains, electronic-edged rhythm tracks, and radio-length cadences. Johnson wrote, produced, and arranged the album.

“The Music” declares the album’s dance premise in compact title phrases. “Don’t Walk Away” pleads through a direct departure address, with the refrain landing on a refusal line. “Forever Together” glides through long-term vow language and smooth-edged reply phrases. “Love Is What You Make It” circles a plain title maxim, then turns the phrase toward flirtation. “Never Been Loved Before” lingers over first-love language in a slower romantic cadence. “A Piece of Candy” teases its title image through playful desire lines. “Loverboy” coasts on self-naming address. “X-Rated Love” pushes the flirtation language into late-night phrasing, while “I Shall Return” closes on a promise-line refrain.

1. “The Music” (3:04)
2. “Don’t Walk Away” (4:00)
3. “Forever Together” (3:44)
4. “Love Is What You Make It” (3:19)
5. “Never Been Loved Before” (3:37)
6. “A Piece of Candy” (3:54)
7. “Loverboy” (3:23)
8. “X-Rated Love” (3:42)
9. “Lost in the Night” (3:41)
10. “Just Can’t Get Enough” (4:21)
11. “I Shall Return” (4:09)

Johnson produced and arranged The Music for Surfside, which issued “Lover Boy” as a 1984 single (b/w “Hi Dee Hi Dee Ho (Hoy Hoy) (The Fraternity Song)”).

EMI issued “Loverboy” in the UK, where it reached No. 56 on the Official Singles Chart. Surfside issued “Don’t Walk Away” as a 1987 single (b/w “Forever Together”), followed by “A Piece of Candy” as a same-title single.

Discography: