Biografía Johnnie Taylor

Johnnie Harrison Taylor (5 de mayo de 1934 - 31 de mayo de 2000) fue vocalista de una amplia variedad de géneros, desde gospel, blues y soul a pop, doo-wop y disco.

Taylor nació en Crawford, Arkansas. Allí editó solamente un disco ", Somewhere to Lay My Head ", en Chicago Chance Records en la década de 1950, como parte del doo-wop grupo “ Five Echoes”. Su modo de cantar era sorprendentemente similar a la de Sam Cooke y fue contratado para tomar el lugar de Cooke en el grupo gospel al que éste pertenecía, “The Soul Stirrers”, en 1957.

Unos años más tarde, después de que Cooke se asentara con su compañía discográfica independiente SAR Records, Taylor fue fichado y grabó " Rome Wasn't Built In A Day " en 1962. Sin embargo, SAR Records rápidamente cerró sus puertas luego de la muerte de Cooke en 1964.

En 1966, Taylor se trasladó a StAX Records en Memphis, en donde grabó “The Philosopher of Soul". Pasó a convertirse en su mejor artista vendedor (al mismo nivel de nombres como Otis Redding y Sam & Dave). Sus éxitos incluyen " I Had a Dream " y " I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby " y, sobre todo,

" Who's Making Love ", que alcanzó el N º 5 en el Billboard Top 40 y N º 1 en el R & B charts en 1968.

En la década de los años 70 la discográfica StAX quebró y Johnnie Taylor pasó a Columbia Records en dónde grabó su éxito más conocido, "Disco Lady" en 1975. Columbia intentó promoverlo como un artista disco y comenzó a descuidar el amplio talento de Taylor. No es de extrañar, sus ventas comenzaron a desplomarse.

Grabó un álbum para “Beverly Glen Records” en 1982, y dos registros más en 1984 para el sello “Malaco": "This Is Your NIght" y "Wall To Wall".

Lamentablemente falleció víctima de un ataque al corazón en el año 2000 y sus restos descansan en el cementeri "Forrest Hill" de Kansas City, Missouri.

Discografía completa:

The 45's

A Whole Lotta Woman / Why Why Why - Sar 114 * 1961

Rome / Never Never - Sar 131 * 1962

Oh How I Love You / Run But You Can't Hide - Sar 156 * 1963

Dance What You Wanna / Shine Shine Shine - Derby 1001 * 1963

Baby We've Got Love / (I'll Always Be) In Love With You - Derby 1006 * 1963

I Need Lots Of Love / Getting Married Soon - Derby 1010 * 1964

I Had A Dream / Changes - Stax 186 * 1965

I Got To Love Somebody's Baby / Just The One I've Been Looking For Stax 193 * 1966

Little Bluebird / Toe Hold - Stax 202 * 1966

Ain't that Loving You (For More Reasons Than One) / Outside Love - Stax 209 * 1966

You Can't Get Away From It / If I Had It To Do All Over - Stax 226 * 1967

Somebody's Sleeping In My Bed / Strange Things - Stax 235 * 1967

Next Time / Hello Sundown - Stax 247 * 1967

I Ain't Particular / Where There's Smoke There's Fire - Stax 253 * 1968

Who's Making Love / I'm Trying - Stax 0009 * 1968

Take Care Of Your Homework / Hold On This Time - Stax 0023 * 1968

Testify / I Had A Fight With Love - Stax 0033 * 1968

Soul-A-lujah Pt. I / Pt. II (with 6 other Stax artists) - Stax 0040 * 1969

Never Let You Go / Ain't That Good (with Mavis Staples) - Stax 0041 * 1969

Just Keep On Loving Me / My Life (With Carla Thomas) - Stax 0042 * 1969

I Could Never Be President / It's Amazing - Stax 0046 * 1969

Love Bones / Mr Nobody Is Somebody - Stax 0055 * 1969

Steal Away / Friday Night - Stax 0068 * 1969

I Am Somebody Pt. I / Pt. II - Stax 0078 * 1970

Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone / A Fool Like Me - Stax 0085 * 1970

I Don't Wanna Lose You / Party life - Stax 0089 * 1971

Hijackin' Love / Love in the streets (ain't good as the love at home) - Stax 0096 * 1971

Standing In For Jody / Shakin' Up - Stax 0114 * 1971

Doin' My Own Thing Pt. I / Pt. II - Stax 0122 * 1972 Stop Doggin' Me / Stop Teasin' Me - Stax 0142 * 1972

Don't you Fool With My Soul Pt. I / Pt. II - Stax 0155 * 1972

I Believe In You / Love Depression - Stax 0161 * 1972

Cheaper To Keep Her / I Can Read Between The Lines - Stax 0176 * 1973

We're Getting Careless With Our Love / Poor Make Believer - Stax 0193 * 1973

I've Been Born Again / At Night Time - Stax 0208 * 1973

It's September / Just One Moment - Stax 0226 * 1974

Try Me Tonight / Free - Stax 0241

I'm So Glad I Met You / I'm So Grateful - Stax 0251

Just Keep On Loving Me / It Don't Pay To Get Up In The Morning - Stax 0253

The post Stax years...

Disco lady / You're the best in the world - Columbia 10281 * 1976

Somebody's gettin it / Please don't stop - Columbia 10334 * 1976

Love is better in the A.M. (part 1) / Love is better in the A.M. (part 1) - Columbia 10478 * 1977

Your love is rated X / Here I go - Columbia 10541 * 1977

Disco 9000 / Right now - Columbia 10610 * 1977

Heaven bless this home / I want you back again - RCA 11137 * 1977

Keep on dancing / I love to make love when it's raining - Columbia 10709 * 1978

Ever ready / Give me my baby - Columbia 10776 * 1978

(Ooh wee) She's killing me / Play something pretty - Columbia 11084 * 1979

I got this thing for your love / Signing off with love - Columbia 11315 * 1980

I wanna get into you / Baby don't hesitate - Columbia 11373 * 1980

What about love / Reagonomics - Beverly Glen 2002 * 1982

I'm so proud / I need a freak - Beverly Glen 2004 * 1983

Just ain't good enough / Don't wait - Beverly Glen 2007 * 1983

Seconds of your love / Shoot for the stars - Beverly Glen 2008 * 1984

Lady my whole world is you / L-o-v-e - Malaco 2107 * 1984

Good with my hips / This is your night - Malaco 2111 * 1985

Still called the blues / She's cheating on me - Malaco 2118 * 1985

Wall to wall / ? - Malaco 2125 * 1986

Can I love you / There's nothing I wouldn't do - Malaco 2128 * 1986

Just because / When she stops asking - Malaco 2132 * 1987

Don't make me late / Happy time - Malaco 2135 * 1987

If I lose your love / Something is going wrong - Malaco 2140

LP's

Wanted One Soul Singer - Stax 715 * 1967

I Got To Love Somebody's Baby / Just The One I've Been Looking For / Watermelon Man / Where Can A Man Go From Here / Toe-Hold / Outside Love / Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One) ;/Blues In The Night / I Had A Dream / Sixteen Tons / Little Bluebird.

Who's Making Love - Stax 2005 * 1968

Who's making love / I'm not the same person / Hold on this time / Woman across the river / Can't trust your neighor / Take care of your homework / I'm trying / Poor make believer / Payback hurts / Mr. Nobody is somebody now / I'd rather drink muddy water

Raw Blues - Stax 2008 * 1968

Where there's smoke there's fire / Hello sundown / Pardon me lady / Where can a man go from here / That bone / That's where it's at / Part time love / If I had to do it all over again / You're good for me / You can't keep a good man down / You can't win with a losing hand

Released in 1968, this LP contains earlier recordings from the "blue" Stax period.

Rare Stamps - Stax 2012 * 1968

Who's making love / You can't get away from it / Toe hold / Just the one (I've been looking for) / I ain't particular / Take care of your homework / I've got to love somebody's baby / Little blue bird / I had a dream / Outside love / Somebody's sleeping in my bed / If I had to it all over

The Johnnie Taylor Philosophy Continues - Stax 2023 * 1969

Testify (I wonna) / Separation line / Love bones / Love is a hurting thing / I had a fight with love / I could never be president / It's amazing / Who can I turn to / Games people play / It's your thing

One Step Beyond - Stax 2030 * 1971

Time after time / Party life / Will you love me forever / I am somebody (pts. 1 & 2) / I don't wanna lose you (pts. 1 & 2) / Don't take my sunshine / Jody's got your girl and gone / A fool like me

Taylored in Silk - Stax 3014 * 1973

We're getting careless with our love / Starting all over again / Cheaper to keep her / Talk to me / I believe in you (you believe in me) / One thing wrong with my baby / I can read between the lines / This bitter earth

Super Taylor - Stax 5509 * 1974

It's September / Darling I love you / Try me tonight / Free / I've been born again / At night time (my pillow tells a tale on me) / I don't pay to get up in the morning / Just one moment

Original tracks on compilation LP's:

Soul Explosion - Stax 2-2007: Save your love for me / Twenty years from today Boy Meets Girl - Stax 2 2024

Boy Meets Girl - Stax 2-2024 (to be listed)

Original Stax compilation:

Johnnie Taylor's Greatest Hits - Stax 2032 (1971)

Post - Stax LP's (track listings to be added - eventually...)

Eargasm - CBS 81201 * 1976

Rated Extraordinaire - CBS 81757 * 1977

Disco 9000 - CBS 82367 * 1977

Reflections - RCA APL 1-2527 * 1977

Ever Ready - CBS 35340 * 1978

She's Killing me - Columbia 36061 * 1979

A new day - Columbia 36548 * 1980

What About My Love - Beverly Glen ?

Best of the Old and the New - Beverly Glen 10004 * 1983

This Is Your Night - Malaco 7421 * 1985

Wall to Wall - Malaco 7431 * 1986

Lover Boy - Malaco 7440 * 1987

In Control - Malaco 7446 * 1988

Crazy 'Bout You - Malaco 7452

Just Can't Do Right - Malaco 7460

...

Good Love - Malaco * 1996

Taylored to Please - Malaco * 1998

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