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Biography
Syl Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, on 1 July 1936; died 6 February 2022 ) was an American blues and soul singer and music producer. His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), "Is It Because I'm Black" (1969) and "Take Me to the River" (1975). "Different Strokes" has been sampled by number of rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, Hammer, and the Ghetto Boys. Blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson, and bassist Mack Thompson, are his brothers.
In the 1950s, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.
