Johnny Bristol
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| Johnny Bristol | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John William Bristol |
| Born | February 3 1939 |
| Origin | Morganton, North Carolina, USA |
| Died | March 21, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | soul, rhythm and blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Years active | 1959 - 1993 |
| Label(s) | Motown, MGM, Ariola/Hense, Atlantic |
| Associated acts | Junior Walker, Supremes, Tom Jones, Tavares, Boz Scaggs |
Johnny Bristol (born John William Bristol, February 3, 1939 - March 21, 2004[1]), was an African American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton, North Carolina[1].
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[edit] Career
Bristol first came to local fame in the Detroit area as a member of the soul duo "Johnny & Jackey" with Jackey Beavers[1], an associate Bristol met while in the U.S. Air Force. The pair recorded two singles in 1959 for Anna a label owned by Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis and four 45's for Gwen Gordy and Harvey Fuqua's Tri-Phi record label, none of which were successes beyond the Midwestern United States.
In the mid 1960s, Tri-Phi was absorbed by Motown Records, and Bristol began working with Fuqua as a songwriter and producer. Among Fuqua and Bristol's successes as producers were hit singles such as Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (1967), "Your Precious Love" (1967), and "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" (1968); Edwin Starr's "Twenty-Five Miles" (1969); and David Ruffin's "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" (1969). On his own, Bristol co-wrote and produced Gladys Knight & the Pips' "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" (1971) and "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" (1972), and several singles by Jr. Walker & the All Stars such as "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" (1969) and "Come See About Me" (1967).
Notably, Bristol was the producer and co-writer of the final singles for both Diana Ross & the Supremes and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, before each group lost its namesake lead singer. While the Miracles' "We've Come Too Far to End It Now" (1972) was an original, the Supremes' "Someday We'll Be Together" (1969) was a cover version of a Johnny & Jackey single from 1961[2]. Bristol is the male voice on the Supremes' version of "Someday We'll Be Together," singing response to Diana Ross' lead vocal[2] (Ross actually recorded the song with session singers replacing the other two Supremes).
In 1973, Bristol left Motown to resume his singing career, joining first with CBS Records and almost immediately moving to MGM Records. For MGM, Bristol recorded two successful albums and charting with several singles, notably "Hang On In There Baby" (1974, #8 Billboard Hot 100), "You and I" (1974, number 20 U.S. R&B), and "Leave My World" (1975, number 20 U.S. R&B). He also recorded the original version of "Love Me for a Reason", later a hit for The Osmonds. Bristol then recorded two albums for Atlantic Creme (1976) and Strangers (1980). One track from the Atlantic period "Strangers in the Dark Corners" has become a popular track on the European rare soul scene. He maintained a parallel role as a producer during this period working mainly for artists signed to Columbia Records. Amongst those with whom he worked was Boz Scaggs, and Bristol can be credited with creating Scaggs' blue-eyed soul sound for the Slow Dancer album (1974). Bristol also produced Tom Jones' 1975 album, Memories Don't Leave Like People Do, which included five covers of Bristol's songs, including the title track. He also produced for other established artists including Johnny Mathis,Tavares (band) and Margie Joseph.
Bristol's main market was in Europe by the early 1980s. A deal for Ariola/Hansa saw him score with club hits "Love No Longer Has a Hold on Me" and "Take Me Down". An accompanying album failed to consolidate his status and it would be eight years before a new product by Bristol would appear with a 12" single "I'm Just a Musician" for Hense Forth. An affiliation in 1989 with the UK record label Motorcity Records was brief[2], but did result in the release of one of Bristol's most popular releases, "Man Up in the Sky"[1], and a cover of the Bristol penned "What Does it Take to Win Your Love", originally a hit for Jr. Walker & the All Stars.
Johnny Bristol's last releases were a 12" single in 1991 for Whichway Records, "Come to Me", and an album Life & Love released for the Japanese market in 1993, the latter included a duet of Earth, Wind & Fire's "That's The Way I Feel About You" with his daughter Shanna J. Bristol.
Bristol died in his Brighton Township, Michigan[1] home on 21 March 2004, of natural causes, at the age of sixty-five. [3]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1974: Hang On In There Baby
- 1975: Feeling The Magic
- 1976: Bristol's Creme
- 1979: Strangers
- 1981: Free to Be Me
- 1993: Life & Love
[edit] Compilation album
- 1978 Best of Johnny Bristol - Polydor
[edit] See also
- List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of disco artists
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
