Syl Johnson -

Syl Johnson (July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022) was an American soul singer from Holly Springs, Mississippi, who grew up in Chicago and worked first as a guitarist behind blues acts. He recorded for Federal before Twinight gave him his main Chicago run, including “Different Strokes,” “Dresses Too Short,” and “Is It Because I’m Black.” Johnson moved to Hi Records in Memphis, where he worked with Willie Mitchell and cut “Take Me to the River,” his biggest R&B hit. Hip-hop producers later sampled his records widely, and Numero Group issued the 2010 box set Complete Mythology after decades of scattered catalog circulation.

Background

Syl Johnson was born Sylvester Thompson on July 1, 1936, near Lamar, Mississippi. Samuel and Erlie Thompson raised him as the sixth child in a musical household. Samuel Thompson sang at Hebron Missionary Baptist Church and played harmonica around the family home. Johnson first learned guitar through the Thompson household, where guitarist Jimmy Thompson let the younger brothers watch his fingerings before Syl obtained a white acoustic Stella.

The Thompson brothers heard Joe Hill Louis and B.B. King at Billy Carpenter’s Show Club in Hudsonville and followed Memphis station WDIA from northern Mississippi. In 1950, Mack and Syl Thompson joined the family near 27th Street and Calumet Avenue in Chicago. Johnson attended Wendell Phillips High with Sam Maghett, then moved to Princeton Continuational, where attendance required one day each week.

Johnson met teenage guitarist Sam Maghett after arriving in Chicago, and the two played around the Thompson apartment with Mack Thompson. Harmonica player James “Shakey Jake” Harris heard the group on Calumet Avenue and hired Johnson for a State Street club date before Johnson shifted from harmonica to guitar in Harris’s band. Johnson spent much of 1955 behind Harris and pianist Eddie Boyd, then joined the Four Aces after Junior Wells left the group’s 708 Club engagement.

Johnson first entered Vee-Jay’s studio in November 1956 as guitarist on four Billy Boy Arnold titles with drummer Fred Below, pianist Henry Gray, and guitarist Odell Campbell. He backed Junior Wells for Chief Records and played on Shakey Jake Harris’s 1958 Artistic single with bassist Willie Dixon and guitarist Magic Sam.

Al Smith recruited Johnson as road guitarist for Jimmy Reed, and a 1959 Reed session at Universal Recording put Johnson in front of Vee-Jay figures Vivian Carter and Calvin Carter. Johnson wrote “Teardrops” with Masquerades lead vocalist Howard Scott, cut a Voice-O-Gram demo, and brought the acetate to King Records A&R man Ralph Bass. Federal issued “Teardrops” (b/w “They Who Love”) in April 1959 as the first Syl Johnson single.

Post-“Teardrops” Singles

Syl Johnson followed the 1959 Federal single “Teardrops” with five Federal singles between 1960 and 1962. Johnson wrote “I’ve Got Love” with White and “Lonely Man” with Lyons, then used the Sylvester Thompson name on both sides of “I’ve Got to Find My Baby” and “(She’s So Fine) I Just Gotta Make Her Mine.” Scott and Thompson wrote “I Resign From Your Love,” while “Little Sally Walker” returned to the Thompson/Johnson credit. Federal then paired outside titles: “I Wanna Know” by Toombs, Teat, and Moore with “Well Oh Well” by Bradshaw, Bernard, and Mann, followed by “I’m Looking for My Baby” by Solaway and Wolfe with “Please, Please, Please” by Brown and Terry.

TMP-Ting reintroduced Johnson in July 1965 with “I’ve Got to Get Over,” a Harold Scott title produced by Morey Alexander with an arrangement by Johnny Cameron. Barry Goldberg wrote the B-side, “Falling in Love Again.” Special Agent issued two 1966 versions of “Do You Know What Love Is,” a Goldberg/Scott song produced and arranged by Burgess Gardner, first with “The Love I Found in You” by Carl Smith and then with “Things Ain’t Right” by Chuck Bernard. Zachron followed with “Straight Love, No Chaser” and “Surrounded,” two John Cameron songs.

Twilight issued “Come On Sock It to Me” in April 1967 with “Try Me” on the B-side. Johnson, Jo Armstead, and Jesse Anderson wrote the A-side, while Johnny Cameron produced both titles. “Different Strokes” followed in October 1967 and paired a John Cameron/John Zachary A-side, arranged by Cameron and produced by 3 J’s Productions, with Jo Armstead’s “Sorry ’Bout Dat.”

“Ode to Soul Man” followed in December 1967 (b/w “I’ll Take Those Skinny Legs”). The run continued in 1968 with “Send Me Some Lovin’” (b/w “I Resign”) and “I Feel an Urge” b/w a new “Try Me,” the Johnson-produced A-side arranged by Cameron.

Dresses Too Short

Syl Johnson released his debut album, Dresses Too Short, in summer 1969 on Twinight.

The album gathers Twilight and Twinight singles with four non-single studio cuts, framed by clipped Chicago R&B, Memphis rhythm-section weight, and Johnson’s forward vocal placement. Johnson cut the Memphis Twinight material at Royal Recording Studio with guitarist Teenie Hodges, bassist Leroy Hodges, drummer Howard “Bulldog” Grimes, organist Charles Hodges, and engineer Willie Mitchell. Its program pairs short dance-band sides with answer-record humor, call-and-response vocals, hard brass punctuation, and compact ballad cadences.

“Dresses Too Short” grinds through a hard vamp as brass replies cut against the blues-cut vocal. “Different Strokes” snaps around a break and short voice fragments, with the title line clipped into quick commands. “Come On Sock It to Me” punches through repeated title cries and hard backbeat accents. “I’ll Take Those Skinny Legs” pivots from comic text into clipped answer phrases. “Ode to Soul Man” stays in short-form single shape, with the vocal fixed close to the refrain.

A1. “Dresses Too Short” (2:44) – Smith/Johnson
A2. “I Can Take Care of Business” (3:00) – Fuller
A3. “Different Strokes” (2:20) – Cameron/Zachary
A4. “Soul Drippin’” (2:24) – Monda
A5. “Fox Hunting on the Weekend” (2:32) – Monda
A6. “Ode to Soul Man” (2:30) – Cameron/Johnson

B1. “Come on Sock It to Me” (2:26) – Anderson/Armstead/Johnson
B2. “I’ll Take Those Skinny Legs” (1:57) – Cameron/Johnson/Zachary
B3. “Try Me No. 2” (2:02) – Bowie/Ellison
B4. “Same Kind of Thing” (2:21) – Smith/Johnson
B5. “I’ve Got the Real Thing” (2:40) – Smith/Johnson
B6. “Sorry ’Bout Dat!” (2:14) – Armstead

Jerry Griffith created the cover image, whose balcony portrait places Johnson against the sleeve lettering.

Is It Because I’m Black

Syl Johnson released his second studio album, Is It Because I’m Black, in April 1970 on Twinight.

The album presents Chicago soul and politically direct R&B, performed by Johnson with Pieces of Peace players around slow-tempo vamps, horn-line replies, and extended vocal refrains. Its title track places Johnson’s voice over a long-form minor-key frame, while “Come Together” recasts a rock single through clipped ensemble accents and a narrower vocal register. Side two moves through compact social texts, including the housing image of “Concrete Reservation,” the public-address cadence of “I’m Talkin’ ’Bout Freedom,” and the extended closing statement of “Right On.”

“Is It Because I’m Black” lingers over a slow blues-stained vamp, with Johnson stretching the question into a grave sermon line. “Concrete Reservation” compresses its topical text into a hard short-form statement. “I’m Talkin’ ’Bout Freedom” repeats its freedom refrain with declarative force. “Right On” charges through a long chant, with Johnson calling out Pieces of Peace as the band holds the extended workout. “Come On Sock It to Me” clips the command phrase into hard dancefloor punctuation.

A1. “Is It Because I’m Black” (7:35) – Jones/Watts/Johnson
A2. “Come Together” (3:15) – Lennon/McCartney
A3. “Together Forever” (2:52) – Reed

B1. “Concrete Reservation” (2:28) – Jones
B2. “Black Balloons” (2:40) – Brown
B3. “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” (2:45) – South
B4. “I’m Talkin’ ’Bout Freedom” (3:41) – Bowie/Jones
B5. “Right On” (7:10) – Johnson/Jones

Jimmy Jones and the Pieces of Peace produced the album, with arrangements by Byron Bowie, Larry Nestor, and Jerry Wilson. The sessions used Pieces of Peace bassist Bernard Reed, guitarist John Bishop, drummer Hal “Heavy” Nesbitt, trumpeter Michael Davis, and alto saxophonist Jerry Wilson. Jerry Griffith shaped the visual package; the back cover uses a burned-out building on 43rd Street, while the front cover sets hand-painted title lettering over a brick-wall image.

Twinight lifted “Is It Because I’m Black” as a fall 1969 single (b/w “Let Them Hang High”), which reached No. 11 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In February 1970, “Concrete Reservation” followed as a single credited to Syl Johnson & the Pieces of Peace (b/w “Together Forever”), which reached No. 29 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Back for a Taste of Your Love

Syl Johnson released his third studio album, Back for a Taste of Your Love, in late 1973 on Hi.

The album presents Memphis soul and Chicago R&B, performed by Johnson with Hi Rhythm, Rhodes, Chalmers & Rhodes, and the Memphis Strings. Johnson places broken-romance texts over brass-led mid-tempos, organ fills, string-lined ballads, and short refrain returns. Earl Randle wrote or co-wrote five pieces, while Johnson shares the two lead single copyrights with Brenda Johnson and Darryl Carter.

“Back for a Taste of Your Love” swings through rising brass and a repeated guitar figure while Johnson presses the title line into a sultry refrain. “I’m Yours” punches in with brass and organ accents before backing replies answer the main vocal. “I Let a Good Girl Go” slows into regret, with Johnson drawing the apology lines across a softer arrangement. “You Don’t Know Me” glides under strings as Johnson lowers the vocal into unrequited text. “Feelin’ Frisky” brightens the tempo with sassy phrasing and sharp ensemble accents. “The Love You Left Behind” surges through brassy bursts while backing replies cut against the heavier vocal line.

A1. “Back for a Taste of Your Love” (2:32) – Darryl Carter/Syl Johnson/Brenda Johnson
A2. “I’m Yours” (2:51) – Darryl Carter/Syl Johnson/Brenda Johnson
A3. “I Let a Good Girl Go” (4:19) – James Fuller
A4. “Anyway the Wind Blows” (2:52) – Earl Randle
A5. “You Don’t Know Me” (4:00) – Cindy Walker/Eddy Arnold

B1. “Feelin’ Frisky” (2:55) – Earl Randle/Syl Johnson
B2. “We Did It” (2:32) – Johnny Moore
B3. “Wind, Blow Her Back My Way” (2:23) – Earl Randle
B4. “I Hate I Walked Away” (3:25) – Earl Randle
B5. “The Love You Left Behind” (2:45) – Al Jackson/Willie Mitchell

Sessions occurred at Royal Recording Studios in Memphis with producer-engineer Willie Mitchell, rhythm section Hi Rhythm, backing vocalists Rhodes, Chalmers & Rhodes, and the Memphis Strings.

Hi issued “The Love You Left Behind” as a November 1971 single (b/w “Anyone but You”), which reached No. 43 on the Billboard R&B chart.

“We Did It” followed in November 1972 (b/w “Anyway the Wind Blows”) and reached No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 23 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Hi lifted “Back for a Taste of Your Love” as an August 1973 single (b/w “Wind, Blow Her Back My Way”), which reached No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 16 on the Billboard R&B chart. In February 1974, “I’m Yours” appeared as a single (b/w “Anyone but You”) and reached No. 68 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Back for a Taste of Your Love reached No. 19 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart.

Diamond in the Rough

Syl Johnson released his fourth studio album, Diamond in the Rough, in 1974 on Hi.

The album presents Memphis soul and R&B, performed by Johnson with Hi Rhythm, the Memphis Horns, the Memphis Strings, and Rhodes, Chalmers & Rhodes. Johnson sets upper-register vocal lines against horn replies, organ passages, and string-backed ballads. Its ten-song program centers on Darryl Carter and Earl Randle copyrights, with “Stuck in Chicago” as the Cate Brothers entry.

“Let Yourself Go” brightens from a spacious opening into a slow-burn number, with short brass bursts cutting against the backing replies. “Don’t Do It” pleads through a departure lyric, with strings and brass interjections heightening the complaint. “I Want to Take You Home (to See Mama)” bursts through bright brass and sweetened backing-vocal answers. “Could I Be Falling in Love” glides at the album’s slowest pace, with Johnson holding the vocal close as the arrangement withholds brass until the later section.

“Stuck in Chicago” surges from guitar and brass into a fuller arrangement as the lyric strands Johnson without money or a date. “Diamond in the Rough” opens hard, then sets a loud vocal against brash punctuation and later string sweep. “Please, Don’t Give Up on Me” pleads over organ, brass, and backing voices, with Johnson pushing the request into a desperate line. “I Hear the Love Chimes” lowers the vocal into a restrained closing ballad, with backing voices entering in soft unison.

A1. “Let Yourself Go” (3:11) – Charles Hodges/Archie Turner/Darryl Carter
A2. “Don’t Do It” (2:47) – Mabon “Teenie” Hodges/Darryl Carter
A3. “I Want to Take You Home (To See Mama)” (2:38) – Darryl Carter/Brenda Johnson
A4. “Could I Be Falling in Love” (3:08) – Willie Mitchell/Earl Randle
A5. “Stuck in Chicago” (2:51) – Earl Cate/Ernie Cate

B1. “Diamond in the Rough” (2:56) – Erma Clanton/Darryl Carter
B2. “Keeping Down Confusion” (2:42) – Darryl Carter/Willie Mitchell
B3. “Please, Don’t Give Up on Me” (2:35) – Earl Randle/Jarrett
B4. “Music to My Ears” (2:44) – Darryl Carter/Charles Hodges
B5. “I Hear the Love Chimes” (2:44) – Darryl Carter/Earl Randle

Willie Mitchell produced the album at Royal Recording Studios in Memphis. Sessions used guitarist Mabon “Teenie” Hodges, bassist Leroy Hodges, drummers Howard Grimes and Al Jackson Jr., keyboardists Charles Hodges and Archie Turner, and the Memphis Horns. Donna Rhodes, Charles Chalmers, and Sandra Rhodes sang backing parts. Glenn Ross photographed the sleeve.

Hi lifted “Let Yourself Go” as a July 1974 single (b/w “Please, Don’t Give Up on Me”), which reached No. 54 on the Billboard R&B chart. “I Want to Take You Home (To See Mama)” followed in October 1974 (b/w “I Hear the Love Chimes”) and reached No. 40 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Total Explosion

Syl Johnson released his fifth studio album, Total Explosion, in November 1975 on Hi.

The album presents Memphis soul with a sharper blues edge, performed by Johnson with Hi Rhythm, the Memphis Horns, and a string section. Johnson brings harmonica into the front line on several titles, while the band sets clipped brass figures against mid-tempo vamps and slower minor-key frames. Its program moves from the declarative opener through “Take Me to the River” and closes with the adultery text of “That’s Just My Luck.”

“I Only Have Love” shuffles through a Memphis rhythm with brass pushing the refrain. “Bustin’ Up or Bustin’ Out” slows into a blues-cut number, with harmonica at the front of the arrangement. “Star Bright Star Lite” softens the album’s harder text with a lighter vocal surface. “Watch What You Do to Me” jabs through a jealous lyric, with Johnson turning the line into a threat. “Steppin’ Out” confronts a domestic break in hard-edged terms, with Johnson shaping the exit line as a spoken-room argument. “Take Me to the River” slows the source tune into a heavier Hi treatment. “‘Bout to Make Me Leave Home” extends the same domestic complaint mode into another leaving-song form.

A1. “I Only Have Love” (3:00) – Willie Mitchell/Earl Randle/Mabon “Teenie” Hodges/Lawrence Seymour
A2. “Bustin’ Up or Bustin’ Out” (4:22) – James Fuller/Leroy Hodges/Marshall Jones
A3. “Star Bright Star Lite” (2:47) – Earl Randle/Orielle Roberts
A4. “Watch What You Do to Me” (2:44) – Earl Randle/Mabon “Teenie” Hodges/Willie Mitchell
A5. “Steppin’ Out” (3:19) – Andrew Hall/Earl Randle/Howard Grimes

B1. “Take Me to the River” (3:00) – Al Green/Mabon “Teenie” Hodges
B2. “It Ain’t Easy” (5:02) – Earl Randle/Lawrence Seymour/Willie Mitchell
B3. “’Bout to Make Me Leave Home” (4:08) – Earl Randle
B4. “That’s Just My Luck” (3:10) – Earl Randle/James Fuller/Marshall Jones/Willie Mitchell

Johnson recorded the album at Royal Recording Studios in Memphis with producer-engineer Willie Mitchell. Hi Rhythm, the Memphis Horns, and a string section frame the arrangements. Johnson added harmonica solos to “I Only Have Love,” “Star Bright Star Lite,” “Watch What You Do to Me,” and “Take Me to the River”; he added a guitar solo to “That’s Just My Luck.”

Hi lifted “Take Me to the River” as an April 1975 single (b/w “Could I Be Falling in Love”), which reached No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 7 on the Billboard R&B chart.

“I Only Have Love” followed in September 1975 (b/w “Come on Home”) and reached No. 15 on the Billboard R&B chart. In March 1976, “Star Bright Star Lite” appeared as a single (b/w “That’s Just My Luck”) and reached No. 89 on the Billboard R&B chart. In June 1976, “’Bout to Make Me Leave Home” followed (b/w “It Ain’t Easy”) and reached No. 94 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Total Explosion reached No. 56 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart.

Uptown Shakedown

Syl Johnson released his sixth studio album, Uptown Shakedown, in 1979 on Hi.

Johnson cut the album in Los Angeles after Hi moved into its Cream period, with Hal Winn, Jerry Barnes, and Mark Gibbons producing. Mark Gibbons framed the arrangements around extended vamps, close backing vocals, flugelhorn tone, saxophone figures, and Johnson’s upper-register lead. Its seven-track program opens with two dance-side constructions, places Brenton Wood and Mark James material at the center, and closes with a six-title Otis Redding medley.

“Mystery Lady” stretches into an extended late-decade dancefloor cut, with the lyric built around a masked woman. “Let’s Dance for Love” skates through a polished dance setting with Johnson set inside a smoother rhythmic surface. “Gimme Little Sign” recasts the Brenton Wood number in the same softened late-’70s finish. “You’re the Star of the Show” extends the smoother side-one manner into a longer romantic showcase. “Blue Water” lowers the temperature after the opening run of dance cuts. “Who’s Gonna Love You” keeps Johnson inside polished ballad territory. “Otis Redding Medley” turns the second side toward familiar Redding material, with “Respect,” “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song),” and “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” compressed into medley form.

A1. “Mystery Lady” (6:01) – Winn/Gibbons
A2. “Let’s Dance for Love” (4:48) – Moore
A3. “Gimme Little Sign” (4:00) – Smith/Winn/Hooven
A4. “You’re the Star of the Show” (4:40) – Moore/Johnson

B1. “Blue Water” (4:27) – James
B2. “Who’s Gonna Love You” (4:45) – Ivey/Brasfield
B3. “Otis Redding Medley” (9:05) – Redding/Cropper

Sessions occurred at United Western Studios in Los Angeles with Jerry Barnes engineering. The album features bassist Eddie Watkins Jr., drummer James Gadson, percussionist Melvin Webb, guitarists George Doering and Greg Poree, and keyboardists Mark Gibbons and Patrick Moten. Harry Kim plays flugelhorn, Joel Peskin plays saxophone, and Bob Mack, Judy Brown, Maxine Willard Waters, Roger St. Kenerly, and Stephanie Spruill sing backing parts. Jerry Simmons photographed the sleeve.

Hi lifted “Mystery Lady” as a March 1979 single (b/w “Let’s Dance for Love”).

Brings Out the Blues in Me

Syl Johnson released his seventh studio album, Brings Out the Blues in Me, in 1980 on Shama.

The album presents Chicago blues and soul, performed by Johnson with a smaller band frame and a low-lit vocal placement. Johnson foregrounds guitar, harp, and shuffle patterns across longer cuts, while Walter “Simtec” Simmons shapes the title track, “How You Need to Be Loved,” “Last Night Was the Night,” and “Crazy People” as co-writer. Its program revisits “Sock It to Me” and “Is It Because I’m Black” in extended blues-club forms.

“Brings Out the Blues in Me” moans through a slow blues-fronted complaint, with the vocal bending the title phrase into a weary refrain. “How You Need to Be Loved” pleads through a companion slow-burn form, with the request line stretched across a steady vamp. “Sock It to Me” revisits the earlier command number in a clipped late-Shama remake. “Is It Because I’m Black” returns to the title-question form with heavier vocal gravity. “Crazy People” chants through a loose complaint, with Johnson pressing the title as a shouted address.

A1. “Brings Out the Blues in Me” (5:18) – Johnson/Simmons
A2. “How You Need to Be Loved” (5:50) – Johnson/Simmons
A3. “Last Night Was the Night” (5:34) – Johnson/Simmons
A4. “Got My Eyes on You” (3:32) – Johnson

B1. “Liberated Lady” (4:20) – Marks
B2. “Sock It to Me” (3:05) – Anderson/Armstead/Johnson
B3. “Is It Because I’m Black” (5:46) – Jones/Watts/Johnson
B4. “Crazy People” (5:20) – Johnson/Simmons

Johnson and Walter “Simtec” Simmons arranged the album. The sessions used bassist J.W. Williams, drummer Ray Allison, keyboardist St. James Bryant, saxophonist Jerry Wilson, and guitarists John Bishop and Phil Guy, with Sam Gallo engineering.

Shama lifted “Brings Out the Blues in Me” as a 1980 single (b/w “How You Need to Be Loved”).

Ms. Fine Brown Frame

Syl Johnson released his eighth studio album, Ms. Fine Brown Frame, in 1982 on Boardwalk and Erect.

Johnson co-produced the album with General Crook at P.S. Recording Studios in Chicago. Bill McFarland and Byron Bowie arranged seven long-form tracks around club-length bass patterns, harmonica breaks, Chicago guitar, and synthesizer-era keyboard tone. Its program places General Crook collaborations on the first two titles, moves through George Jackson material and “Groove Me,” and closes with the Hi-period piece “It Ain’t Easy.”

“Ms. Fine Brown Frame” struts through an extended dance-cut vamp, with the title phrase repeated before the rap passage enters. “Keep on Loving Me” slides into a softer continuation of the same polished setting. “They Can’t See Your Good Side” settles into a sympathetic complaint line. “Groove Me” stretches a familiar title into a longer club-form remake. “Sweet Thing” softens the record with a slower romantic surface. “You Don’t Have to Go” covers a blues standard in shorter form. “It Ain’t Easy” closes on a lengthier complaint form, with Johnson holding the vocal closer to the blues-band setting.

A1. “Ms. Fine Brown Frame” (5:56) – Crook/Johnson
A2. “Keep on Loving Me” (5:12) – Crook/Johnson
A3. “They Can’t See Your Good Side” (4:18) – Jackson
A4. “Groove Me” (6:18) – Scott/Johnson/Scott

B1. “Sweet Thing” (5:57) – Jackson/Dotson
B2. “You Don’t Have to Go” (3:30) – Reed
B3. “It Ain’t Easy” (6:12) – Randle/Seymour/Mitchell

Sessions occurred at P.S. Recording Studios in Chicago with Paul Serano and Ron Greshon engineering. Johnson and Michael Coleman play guitar, Herman Applewhite plays bass, Ray Allison plays drums, and Professor and St. James play keyboards. James Cotton and Sugar Blue add harmonica parts, and Mickey Oliver remixed the album.

Erect and Shama issued “Ms. Fine Brown Frame” as a 1982 single (b/w “You Don’t Have to Go”). Boardwalk took the title track national in November 1982, and the single reached No. 60 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Suicide Blues

Syl Johnson released Suicide Blues in 1985 on Isabel.

The album presents Chicago blues and soul-blues, recorded by Johnson at Studio Davout in Paris. Johnson produced the set and placed guitar, harmonica, and rough-edged vocal phrasing across a program of blues standards, gospel-derived medley material, and remade Johnson titles. Its sequence opens with the Little Oscar Stricklin title piece, stretches “If I Had a Hammer,” “This Little Light of Mine,” “Amen,” and “Baby Workout” into a long-form medley, and closes with two Johnson originals.

“Before You Accuse Me” cuts back to a straight blues standard, with Johnson working inside a stripped-down band setting. “Take Me to the River” remakes the Hi-era number with a rougher revival-era surface. “The Blues in Me” testifies through the album’s most direct self-description. “Sock It to Me” returns as a hard-edged remake with Cash McCall in the band. “Got to Make a Change” shifts into a declarative reform line. “Crazy Man” closes the set with a loose shouted complaint.

A1. “Suicide Blues” (5:20) – Stricklin
A2. “Medley: If I Had a Hammer / This Little Light of Mine / Amen / Baby Workout” (9:22) – Seeger/Hays/Wilson/Tucker
A3. “Before You Accuse Me” (4:21) – McDaniel

B1. “Take Me to the River” (3:55) – Green/Hodges
B2. “The Blues in Me” (3:23) – Johnson/Simmons
B3. “Sock It to Me” (3:05) – Anderson/Armstead/Johnson
B4. “Got to Make a Change” (5:05) – Johnson
B5. “Crazy Man” (3:35) – Johnson

Johnson recorded most of the album at Studio Davout in Paris on November 28, 1983. The sessions include drummer Ray Allison, guitarist Cash McCall, guitarist Phil Guy, bassist Nick Charles, and Johnson on vocals, guitar, and harmonica.

Foxy Brown

Syl Johnson released his ninth studio album, Foxy Brown, in December 1988 on Shama.

The album presents contemporary Chicago soul and electro-edged R&B, performed by Johnson with Shama studio players. Johnson frames club-length basslines, synthetic keyboard tone, clipped handclap accents, and repeated title refrains around a set of new material and remade earlier songs. Its program starts with the extended “Tripping on Your Love,” places “Foxy Brown” as the side-two title piece, and closes with a new version of “Ms. Fine Brown Frame.”

“Tripping on Your Love” skates through a synth-lit vamp, with Johnson repeating the title phrase over a polished late-Shama sheen. “Love Baby” smooths the vocal into a shorter romantic cut. “Here We Go” circles a direct title command in compact form. “Gimme Some (I Want a Taste of Fonk)” stretches its parenthetical demand across a longer dancefloor vamp. “Do You Know What Love Is” lowers the temperature through a question-based refrain. “Foxy Brown” answers “Tripping on Your Love” with a title-track companion in the same private-press zone. “They Can’t See Your Good Side” reprises the earlier complaint line. “Ms. Fine Brown Frame” returns as a late-album reprise of the 1982 title number.

A1. “Tripping on Your Love” (6:11) – Moore/Johnson
A2. “Love Baby” (3:47) – Johnson
A3. “Here We Go” (3:51) – Johnson
A4. “Gimme Some (I Want a Taste of Fonk)” (5:10) – Johnson

B1. “Do You Know What Love Is” (3:20) – Johnson
B2. “Foxy Brown” (4:16) – Johnson
B3. “They Can’t See Your Good Side” (4:19) – Jackson
B4. “Ms. Fine Brown Frame” (5:49) – Crook/Johnson

Johnson issued the album after a late-eighties return to Shama activity. Numero’s later digital edition retains the eight-song program, while original LP and cassette listings identify the Shama catalog issue.

Discography: