Little Johnny Taylor Dead at 59 (makeshift obit)
Chris Burger
originally penned by Bill Dahl. Anyone who comes across another one, please
post....-C.Burger
Little Johnny Taylor: Soul-Blues Singer Dead at 59
b. Feb 11, 1943 (in Memphis, TN) - d, May 2002
Some folks still get them mixed up, so let's get it straight from the
outset. Little Johnny Taylor (born Johnny Lamar Taylor)
was best-known for his scorching slow blues smashes "Part Time Love" (for
Bay Area-based Galaxy Records in 1963) and 1971's "Everybody Knows About My
Good Thing" for Ronn Records in Shreveport, LA. He was definitely not the
suave Sam Cooke protégé that blitzed the charts with "Who's Making Love"
for Stax in 1968; that's the late Johnnie Taylor, who added to the
confusion by covering "Part Time Love" for Stax.
Another similarity between the two Taylors: both hailed from strong gospel
backgrounds. Little Johnny came to Los Angeles in 1950 and did a stint with
the Mighty Clouds of Joy before going secular. Influenced by Little Willie
John, he debuted as an R&B artist with a pair of 45s for Hunter Hancock's
Swingin' logo, but his career didn't soar until he inked a pact with
Fantasy's Galaxy subsidiary in 1963 (where he benefited from crisp
production by Cliff Goldsmith and Ray Shanklin's arrangements).
The gliding mid-tempo blues "You'll Need Another Favor," firmly in a Bobby
Bland mode, was Taylor's first chart item. He followed it up with the
tortured R&B chart-topper "Part Time Love," which found him testifying in
gospel-fired style over Arthur Wright's biting guitar and a grinding, horn-
leavened downbeat groove. The singer also did fairly well with "Since I
Found a New Love" in 1964 and "Zig Zag Lightning" in 1966.
Taylor's tenure at Stan Lewis's Ronn imprint elicited the slow blues
smash "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" in 1971 and a similar witty hit
follow-up, "Open House at My House," the next year (both were covered later
by Z.Z. Hill for Malaco). While at Ronn, Little Johnny cut some duets with
yet another Taylor, this one named Ted (no, they weren't related either).
He hadn't recorded much of late, but Little Johnny Taylor remained an
active performer before his passing.
Discography (Vinyl & CD) (*= classic LJT / best bets)
1962 Part Time Love Ronn
1963 Little Johnny Taylor Galaxy
1970 Everybody Knows About My Good Thing Ronn
1973 Open House Ronn
*1974 Super Taylors Ronn
1979 L.J.T. Ronn
1980 As Long as I Don't See You Charly
1981 I Shoulda Been a Preacher Red Lightnin'
1988 Stuck in the Mud Ichiban
1989 Ugly Man Ichiban
1997 You're Looking Good Nasha
*2001 Everybody Knows About My Good Thing/Open... West Side
*2001 L.J.T./Part Time Love West Side
* Galaxy Years Ace
* Greatest Hits Fantasy
FINI
HAS...@aol.com
<<In lieu of an fully accurate obituary, I'm posting this edit of AMG's bio
originally penned by Bill Dahl. Anyone who comes across another one, please
post....-C.Burger
>>
This is one of the many reasons why this list is an invaluable resource
and zellers like Chris Burger make it happen.
HB