Johnnie Frierson facts for kids
Johnnie Frierson (born June 25, 1945 – died April 20, 2010) was a talented soul and gospel singer and songwriter from Memphis, Tennessee. After a short time making music with Stax Records, he served in the U.S. Army. Later, he worked as a mechanic, carpenter, and teacher. In the 1990s, he created his own gospel-inspired songs on cassette tapes. These recordings were later released to the public in 2016 as an album called Have You Been Good to Yourself.
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Early Life and Music
Johnnie Frierson was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1945. He started playing guitar when he was young. He also began singing in church and performed with gospel groups on weekends. One of these groups was the Sunset Travelers, led by O. V. Wright. Johnnie's first recording was as a guitarist for the Sunset Travelers on their song "On Jesus' Program."
Music with Stax Records
As a teenager, Johnnie Frierson formed a music group called the Drapels. He joined with his younger sister, Mary, and their friends Marianne Brittenum and Wilbur Mondie. In 1963, they tried out for Stax Records and were offered a music contract right away. The Drapels released two songs in 1964: "Wondering"/"Please Don't Leave" and "Young Man"/"Your Love Is All I Need."
The Drapels then recorded "After Laughter (Comes Tears)," a song Johnnie co-wrote with his sister. However, this song was released under his sister's stage name, Wendy Rene, in August 1964. It became a popular song in their local area. After this, Wendy Rene became a solo artist and toured with other Stax musicians.
Johnnie continued to work behind the scenes at Stax Records. He sang backing vocals for artists like Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, and Otis Redding. He also helped write songs for other groups. For example, he wrote for the Soulful Seven and helped write "I've Got a Feeling" for Ollie & the Nightingales. He also worked with Royal Studios and recorded music for Hi Records under the name James Fry.
During this time, Johnnie was also briefly involved with a group in Memphis called the Invaders. This group was part of a movement that worked for the rights and empowerment of African Americans.
Later Years and New Beginnings
In 1970, Johnnie Frierson joined the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War. This experience was very difficult for him. After returning to Memphis, Johnnie mostly stayed away from the music business. He released only one gospel song in 1975 with his band Whole Truth. Instead, he worked as a mechanic, carpenter, and teacher.
Johnnie faced some tough times in his personal life. But in the early 1990s, he returned to music. He started hosting a gospel radio show on WEVL, a local radio station. He also began writing and performing new songs. Some of these songs were released under the name Khafele Ajanaku. "Khafele" is a name that means "Worth Dying For" in the Chewa language, and "Ajanaku" is a spiritual name for an elephant in the Yoruba language.
He recorded his new songs at home using a tape recorder. He sold these cassette tapes in stores and at gospel music festivals around Memphis. These songs were very religious and personal, showing his gospel roots.
Meanwhile, his early song "After Laughter (Comes Tears)" became popular again. The hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan remixed it as "Tearz" in 1993. Later, Alicia Keys also used parts of the song for her track "Where Do We Go From Here" in 2007.
Johnnie Frierson passed away in April 2010, at 64 years old.
Have You Been Good to Yourself Album
In 2012, Johnnie's old cassette tapes, including Real Education and Have You Been Good to Yourself, were found at a thrift store. A local music collector discovered them and told Light in the Attic Records, a company that re-releases old music.
Light in the Attic Records worked with Johnnie's daughter, Keesha, to re-release the seven-song collection Have You Been Good to Yourself in 2016. A music critic from The Commercial Appeal newspaper, Bob Mehr, said the songs on this album were "more melancholy and more meaningful" than Johnnie's earlier recordings. The newspaper even listed the album as one of "The Best of Memphis Music" in 2016.
