At
the age of two, George Johnson was weaned on the spiritual music of Mahalia
Jackson at his grandmother’s Los Angeles home, but it wasn’t long before he got
all shook up.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “My first major influence was seeing
Elvis Presley on television when I was five,” says Johnson, who just turned 51.
“During a commercial my dad went into the kitchen, poured out the milk that was
left in a half-gallon container, washed it out, cut holes in it and attached a
stick and some pens. He stretched rubber bands up to the top of the stick and
simulated a guitar. I was sitting down on the floor looking at Elvis and
playing this box.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Two years later his dad built him a
real guitar, an imitation Stratocaster, from a Sears Roebuck kit.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย And in 1964, after seeing the
Beatles, his dad went to a pawn shop and bought a drum set, guitar, bass. and
two amplifiers. Johnson played guitar; his younger brother, Louis, played bass;
his oldest brother played drums, and a cousin added his guitar.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย His dad’s strategy paid off. By the
late 1970s, The Brothers Johnson (featuring George and Louis) was one of the
hottest groups in the nation. (The Brothers play Rochester MusicFest on
Saturday, July 17.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But back in the mid-1960s when they
began playing around LA, they were the Johnson Three Plus One.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “That group became so huge,” Johnson
says. “Bobby Womack produced our first record after we won a radio station
contest. They pressed 995 singles of a record called ‘Testify’ and sold every
one.”
In the late
1960s music was changing.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “Jimi Hendrix came out and blew me
away because I was left-handed too. That’s what inspired my afro.” In a tribute
to Hendrix — and America after 9/11 — Johnson plays the “Star Spangled Banner”
at every show. “It’s brought people to tears.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The early 1970s found the Johnson
brothers backing Billy Preston. On one European tour with Preston they jammed
with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, and Jeff Beck.
“We recorded a song. I’ve always wondered what happened to that tape.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Back home, Johnson began hanging out
with Sly Stone and Larry Graham.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “All the people who were really
funky knew who was funky and almost authorized each other,” he says. “Larry and
I made up little cards we gave to each other and Sly. They simply said, ‘George
Johnson, Larry Graham, Sly Stone: Your license to funk.’ The person who gave it
out would have their signature on it.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The brothers also studied hit-making
with a master.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “Quincy [Jones] made us study the
Bee Gees. We’d go to his house at noon and stay till midnight,” Johnson says.
“Quincy would read to us about how to structure songs. He’d put on Bee Gees
records and say, ‘Why do you think this is a hit?’ We would tear the song apart
from the front, the middle, the back, take it inside out, stretch it like a
rubberband, twist it all up…. He taught us how to write a hit.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย From 1973 to 1975 they wrote more
than 200 songs, including classics like “I’ll be Good to You.” Louis would
often start on bass.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “He set the pace on ‘Get the Funk
Out Ma Face.’ Quincy threw the title out and I wrote the lyrics.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The Brothers Johnson got four
platinum albums out of those songs. They still have 20 or 30 albums of material
if the right backer comes along.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Perhaps their best-known song,
“Strawberry Letter 23,” was written by Shuggie Otis.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “It’s an allegory song which
basically paints a lot of pictures and uses a lot of adjectives and adverbs —
very descriptive and a lot of the lyrics might not make any sense,” Johnson
says. “It was our favorite song. We played it for Quincy and he loved it. We
just rearranged it and dropped a little funk in the front.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In the 1980s, Johnson cut down on
touring to spend time with his family.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “One time I left and my daughter
didn’t understand,” he says. “She must have been one-and-a-half or two. When I
came back she was mad. I could see it in her face. I thought about what this
poor child felt every day.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Back on the road two decades later
Johnson feels right at home. But he misses playing stadium dates with big acts.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “All of us would mingle back stage,
go to truck stops together, have waffles, eggs and bacon — Chaka [Khan],
George Clinton, Bootsy [Collins], me and Louis sittin’ at a table, sharing our
new music. Back at the hotel one time Chaka said, ‘Hey George, come here.’ She
played me ‘Papillon,’ for the first time. These are moments I can never
forget.”
The Rochester
MusicFest takes place Friday through Sunday, July 16-18, at Genesee Valley Park. La Linea
and Puerto Rican Power headline Latino Night on Friday at 6 p.m. Earth Wind
& Fire, The Brothers Johnson, Impromp2, Carl Thomas, Prime Time Funk, and
Damaris Rivera play Saturday starting at 1 p.m. Gerald LeVert, Tweet, Calvin
Richardson, The Dazz Band, Whild Peach (OutKast’s backup band), and The Atlas
Band play Sunday starting at 1 p.m.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Tickets: Friday, $15, $8 children
7-12; Saturday, Sunday: $32, $10 children; Weekend Pass: $49, $17 children.
Tickets are available at MusicFest box office, 710 Lake Ave, Tops markets,
tickets.com, 888-223-6000, or the gate.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Free parking/shuttle bus service is
available at University of Rochester. Info: www.rochestermusicfest.com/index.htm
This article appears in Jul 14-20, 2004.
