Terry "Buzzy" Johnson facts for kids

Terry "Buzzy" Johnson (born Isaiah Johnson on November 12, 1938) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. He is best known for his work with the famous music group The Flamingos and for writing hit songs for other artists.

Early Music Career

Terry Johnson was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up in a neighborhood with other famous musicians, like The Orioles' Sonny Til. In 1954, when he was a teenager, Johnson started his own group called The Whispers with friends from high school. They recorded songs for Gotham Records. Terry wrote, arranged, and sang the main parts on their songs "Fool Heart" and "Are You Sorry?", which came out in 1955.

Later, Terry Johnson became a key member of The Flamingos. He sang lead parts on many of their popular songs, including "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" and "Love Walked In." These songs were big hits on the Billboard chart. He recorded three albums with The Flamingos: Flamingo Serenade, Requestfully Yours, and Flamingo Favorites. The group also traveled a lot for concerts and appeared five times on the popular TV show American Bandstand.

The Flamingos with Terry Johnson

After some changes in The Flamingos group in 1961, Terry Johnson and Nate Nelson formed their own version of the band. They used different names like the Modern Flamingos and the Fabulous Flamingos, but later became known as Terry Johnson's Flamingos.

In 1963, they recorded a song called "Let's Be Lovers," which Terry wrote. Terry enjoyed recording music more than performing live, while Nate wanted to perform more. Nate later joined another famous group, The Platters. In 2005, Terry re-recorded "Let's Be Lovers" for his own record label.

Terry Johnson now owns the official trademark for "The Flamingos" name. He leads the current group, which includes Starling Newsome, Stan Prinston, and musical director Theresa Trigg. Terry Johnson's Flamingos have appeared on TV shows like Rock and Roll at Fifty and Doo Wop Cavalcade: The Definitive Anthology. In 2013, they released a CD called Diamond Anniversary Tour. They still perform concerts across the country today.

Working at Motown Records

In 1964, the famous singer and producer Smokey Robinson asked Terry Johnson to join the team at Motown Records. At Motown, Terry and Smokey often worked together to write songs. One of their most famous songs was "Baby, Baby Don't Cry", which was a Top 10 hit for The Miracles in 1969.

Terry also helped write other hit songs like "Malinda" for Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers and "Here I Go Again" for Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. He also wrote and produced music for other big Motown groups such as the Four Tops, the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Supremes.

In 1969, Terry released his own songs as a solo artist, including "My Springtime" and "Whatcha Gonna Do." He later released another song called "Stone Soul Booster" under the name "Buzzie."

Awards and Recent Projects

Terry Johnson has received many awards for his contributions to music.

• In 1996, he and the other surviving members of The Flamingos received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.
• In 2001, Terry Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Flamingos.
• In 2003, he was honored by NARAS (the organization behind the Grammy Awards) when The Flamingos' song "I Only Have Eyes For You" was added to the Grammy Award Hall of Fame.
• He is also a member of The Vocal Group Hall of Fame and has received the Heroes & Legends Award.

Terry Johnson continues to create music. In 2017, he had two songs reach No. 1 on the European Indie Music Chart. The magazine Pollstar calls him a "Musical Chameleon" because he can adapt to different music styles. The popular group Boyz II Men even asked Terry and his producing partner Theresa Trigg to help with their 2017 CD, Under The Streetlight. They re-produced Terry's famous arrangement of "I Only Have Eyes For You" for the album.

In 2013, Terry released the Diamond Anniversary Tour 2013 CD to celebrate 60 years of The Flamingos. In 2015, The Flamingos also appeared on the TV talk show The View with Whoopi Goldberg.