Terry "Buzzy" Johnson facts for kids

Terry "Buzzy" Johnson, born Isaiah Johnson on November 12, 1938, is a famous American singer, songwriter, and music producer. He is best known for his work with the legendary group The Flamingos.

Early Music Journey

Terry Johnson grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. His neighbors were famous singers like Sonny Til from The Orioles and Earl Hurley from The Swallows. In 1954, Johnson started a group called The Whispers with four friends from high school. They recorded songs for Gotham Records in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He wrote, arranged, and sang the main parts on their songs "Fool Heart" and "Are You Sorry?", which came out in 1955.

Johnson later became a lead singer for The Flamingos. He sang duets with Paul Wilson on popular songs like "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" and "Love Walked In." These songs were big hits on the Billboard chart. He also helped create three albums with The Flamingos: Flamingo Serenade, Requestfully Yours, and Flamingo Favorites. The group traveled a lot and appeared five times on the TV show American Bandstand.

Touring with The Flamingos

In 1961, The Flamingos split into two groups. Terry Johnson led one of these groups, which was sometimes called the Modern Flamingos or the Fabulous Flamingos. Later, they became known simply as Terry Johnson's Flamingos.

In 1963, Johnson wrote a song called "Let's Be Lovers." He re-recorded this song in 2005 with other artists for his own record label, Hot Fun Records. Today, Terry Johnson owns the official trademark for "The Flamingos." He leads the current version of the group. The group includes Johnson, Starling Newsome, Stan Prinston, and music director Theresa Trigg.

Terry Johnson's Flamingos have appeared on two PBS TV specials. They were featured on Rock and Roll at Fifty and Doo Wop Cavalcade: The Definitive Anthology. In 2013, the group released a CD called Diamond Anniversary Tour. They continue to perform concerts all over the country.

Working at Motown Records

In 1964, the famous singer Smokey Robinson invited Terry Johnson to work at Motown Records. Johnson and Robinson often worked together to create new music. Their most famous song together was "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" for The Miracles. This song became a Top 10 hit in 1969.

Johnson also wrote and produced songs for other big Motown groups. These included the Four Tops, the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Supremes. In 1969, Johnson released his own solo songs like "My Springtime" and "Whatcha Gonna Do." He also released "Stone Soul Booster" under the name "Buzzie."

Awards and Recent Projects

Terry Johnson has received many important awards for his music. In 1996, he and the other living members of The Flamingos received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. In 2001, Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Flamingos.

After these honors, he focused on touring with Terry Johnson's Flamingos. They became a popular act at casinos and big concert tours. In 2003, Johnson was honored by NARAS when "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. He has also received the Heroes & Legends Award (HAL).

In 2017, Johnson released two songs that reached No. 1 on the European Indie Music Chart. These songs stayed at No. 1 for four weeks, setting a new record. He is also featured on many playlists on Spotify. Pollstar Magazine has called him the "Musical Chameleon."

The popular group Boyz II Men asked Johnson and his producing partner Theresa Trigg to work on their 2017 CD, Under The Streetlight. They re-created Johnson's famous arrangement of "I Only Have Eyes For You." Johnson had arranged, sang, and played guitar on the original version for The Flamingos.

In 2013, Johnson released the Diamond Anniversary Tour 2013 CD. This celebrated 60 years of The Flamingos. In 2015, The Flamingos appeared on The View with Whoopi Goldberg.