Lou Johnson (singer) facts for kids

Lou Johnson (February 11, 1941 – May 1, 2019) was an American soul singer and pianist. He was known for his recordings in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Lou Johnson's Musical Journey

Lou Johnson came from a musical family. As a teenager, he started singing in gospel choirs. He later studied music at Brooklyn College.

He learned to play keyboards and percussion. He even formed a gospel group called the Zionettes. They recorded music and had some local success. After that, Johnson formed a non-religious singing group called the Canjoes. They recorded a song called "Dance the Boomerang".

Starting His Solo Career

In 1962, Lou Johnson signed as a solo singer with Bigtop Records. This company was part of the Hill & Range music publishing company. It was located in the famous Brill Building in New York City.

There, he met two amazing songwriters: Burt Bacharach and Hal David. They wrote Johnson's first song, "If I Never Get to Love You". His first two songs were not big hits. But his third song, "Reach Out for Me", became popular. Bacharach and David wrote it, and Bacharach produced it.

This song reached No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late 1963. However, the record company closed down as the song was becoming popular. This limited how successful the song could become. The B-side of "Reach Out for Me" was a song called "Magic Potion". It also became popular in the UK's Northern Soul music scene.

Chart Success and Famous Songs

Johnson then signed with Big Hill, the record label that took over from Bigtop. He continued to record songs written by Bacharach and David. In 1964, he recorded the original version of "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me". Doris Troy, Dee Dee Warwick, and Cissy Houston sang backup vocals. This song reached No. 49 on the US charts. In the United Kingdom, a different singer, Sandie Shaw, recorded a cover version that became a number one hit.

Lou Johnson also recorded the first versions of several other Bacharach and David songs. These songs later became bigger hits for other musicians. For example, "Reach Out for Me", "Message to Michael (originally "A Message to Martha"), and "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" were all hits for Dionne Warwick.

Several of Johnson's songs reached the top 20 on the Cashbox R&B chart. "Always" reached No. 12, and "Reach Out" reached No. 15. In the UK Singles Chart, Johnson's version of "A Message to Martha" was his biggest hit. It reached No. 36 in late 1964. However, another singer, Adam Faith, had a more successful cover version.

Later Recordings and Career

In 1965, Johnson worked with producers Bill Giant, Bernie Baum, and Florence Kaye. He recorded a singing version of Sidney Bechet's instrumental hit "Petite Fleur". This new version was called "A Time to Love, A Time to Cry". He appeared on the British TV show Ready Steady Go! to promote it. But this song and his next ones were not successful. The record company chose songs that were different from his earlier style.

An album called Anytime was never released because the record company closed again. The B-side of "A Time To Love, A Time To Cry", called "Unsatisfied", became popular in the UK's Northern Soul scene.

Johnson recorded two more albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The first was Sweet Southern Soul for Atlantic's Cotillion label. It was produced by Jerry Wexler at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. The second album, With You in Mind, was produced by Allen Toussaint in New Orleans for Stax's Volt label. Neither of these albums became successful.

After his recording career, Lou Johnson moved to Orange County, California. He became a nightclub entertainer. Sometimes, he performed with a later version of the famous group the Ink Spots.

In 2010, a CD collection of his recordings from the 1960s was released. It included all his known songs from that time, including his work with Bacharach.

Lou Johnson passed away on May 1, 2019.

Discography

Chart singles