Johnny Bristol
Encyclopedia
Johnny Bristol was an 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
.
area as a member of the soul
duo
'Johnny & Jackey' with Jackey Beavers, an associate Bristol met while in the US Air Force
. The pair recorded
two singles
in 1959 for Anna Records
, a label owned by Gwen Gordy (Berry Gordy
's sister
) and Billy Davis and four 45s for Gwen Gordy and Harvey Fuqua
's Tri-Phi label, none of which was a success beyond the Midwestern United States
.
In the mid 1960s, Motown had absorbed Tri-Phi and Bristol began working with Fuqua as a songwriter and producer. Among their successes as producers were hit single
s such as Marvin Gaye
and 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).
Bristol flourished at Motown working with some of the label's best-selling acts. His producer and/or writer credits included: The Velvelettes
"These Things Keep Me Loving You" (1973); Gladys Knight & the Pips
' "I Don't Want To Do Wrong" (1971) and "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" (1972); and Jr. Walker & the All Stars
, who charted with a number of Bristol-written songs, including "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" (1969), "Gotta Hold On To This Feeling" (1970) and "Walk in the Night" (1972). One of his last successes was Jermaine Jackson
's first solo record, "That's How Love Goes" (1972).
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. Bristol is the male voice
on the Supremes' version of "Someday We'll Be Together," singing response to Diana Ross
' lead vocal (Ross actually recorded the song with session singers
replacing the other two Supremes).
as a producer. He worked with a number of emerging singers that included Randy Crawford
, for whom Bristol wrote "Caught in Love's Triangle", as well as producing established performers such as Marlena Shaw
, Johnny Mathis
and Boz Scaggs
. Now in his early 30s, he was anxious to resume his own recording career, and when CBS/Columbia showed little enthusiasm he signed a recording contract
with MGM
.
At MGM, Bristol recorded two successful album
s and charted with several singles, notably "Hang on in There Baby
" (1974, #8 US Pop
, #2 US R&B chart and #3 UK
), "You and I" (1974, #20 US R&B
), "Leave My World" (1975, #23 US R&B) and "Do It To My Mind" (1976, #5 US R&B). He also recorded the original version of "Love Me for a Reason
", later a major hit for The Osmonds
. He was nominated for a Grammy Award
in 1975 for Best New Artist
, ultimately losing out to Marvin Hamlisch
.
Bristol then recorded two albums for Atlantic, Bristol's Creme (1976) and Strangers (1978). One track from the Atlantic period, "Strangers In The Dark Corners," has become popular 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
, including Boz Scaggs. 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 continued to be held in high regard as a producer, and some of the other acts with whom he worked included Tavares
, Margie Joseph and The Jackson Sisters
.
Bristol's main market was in Europe
by the early 1980s. His duet
with Amii Stewart
on a medley
of "My Guy
- My Girl" reached #39 in the UK Singles Chart
in 1980. 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 new product by Bristol appeared, with a 12" single "I'm Just a Musician" for Hansa. An affiliation in 1989 with the UK
record label
Motorcity Records
was brief, but did result in one of Bristol's most popular releases, "Man Up in the Sky", and a cover of the Bristol-penned "What Does it Take to Win Your Love", originally a hit for Jr. Walker & the All Stars.
Bristol's last releases were a 12" single
in 1991 for Whichway Records, "Come to Me", and an album, Life & Love, released for the Japan
ese market in 1993. The latter included Earth, Wind & Fire
's "That's The Way I Feel About You" as a duet with his daughter, Shanna J. Bristol. The album received a US release three years later under the title Come To Me.
Bristol died in his Brighton Township, Michigan
, home on 21 March 2004, of natural causes
, at the age of sixty-five.
A comprehensive article on his career is contained in issue 51 of the music magazine
, In The Basement.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, most famous as a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for the Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton
Morganton, North Carolina
Morganton is a city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. Reader's Digest included Morganton in its list of top ten places to raise a family. The town was recently profiled in The 50 Best Small Southern Towns. The population was 17,310 at the 2000 census...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Motown producer
Bristol first came to local attention in the DetroitDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
area as a member of the soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
'Johnny & Jackey' with Jackey Beavers, an associate Bristol met while in the US Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. The pair recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
two singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1959 for Anna Records
Anna Records
Anna Records was a short-lived record label, known as a forerunner of Motown, founded by sisters Anna and Gwen Gordy and Roquel Billy Davis in 1959 and located in Detroit, Michigan. Gwen Gordy and Davis had written hit songs for Jackie Wilson and Etta James prior to founding the label...
, a label owned by Gwen Gordy (Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
's sister
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
) and Billy Davis and four 45s for Gwen Gordy and Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua
Harvey Fuqua, was an African-American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, record producer, and record label executive.Fuqua founded the seminal R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows in the 1950s...
's Tri-Phi label, none of which was a success beyond the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
.
In the mid 1960s, Motown had absorbed Tri-Phi and Bristol began working with Fuqua as a songwriter and producer. Among their successes as producers were hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s such as Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Tammi Terrell
Tammi Terrell
Thomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...
's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...
" (1967), "Your Precious Love
Your Precious Love
"Your Precious Love" is a popular song that was a 1967 hit for Motown singers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Written by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson and produced by Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol, the doo-wop styled recording features background vocals by Fuqua, Gaye, Terrell and Bristol,...
" (1967), and "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You
If I Could Build My Whole World Around You
"If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" is a popular song recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1967 and released in December 1967. Written by Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, and Vernon Bullock, the single was Gaye & Terrell's third single together and the second to go Top Ten on both the...
" (1968); Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr was an American soul music singer. Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".-Biography:...
's "Twenty-Five Miles" (1969); and David Ruffin
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
's "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)
My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)
"My Whole World Ended " is the solo debut single for former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, released on Motown Records in early 1969 . The song was written by Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Pam Sawyer, and James Roach, with its melody and intro based upon the classical music piece...
" (1969).
Bristol flourished at Motown working with some of the label's best-selling acts. His producer and/or writer credits included: The Velvelettes
The Velvelettes
The Velvelettes was an American singing girl group, signed to Motown in the 1960s.-Early years and establishment:The group was founded in 1961 by Bertha Barbee McNeal and Mildred Gill Arbor, students at Western Michigan University. Mildred recruited her younger sister Carolyn , who was in 9th...
"These Things Keep Me Loving You" (1973); Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
' "I Don't Want To Do Wrong" (1971) and "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" (1972); and Jr. Walker & the All Stars
Jr. Walker & the All Stars
Junior Walker & the All Stars were signed to the Motown label in the 1960s, and became one of the label's signature acts.-Biography:...
, who charted with a number of Bristol-written songs, including "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" (1969), "Gotta Hold On To This Feeling" (1970) and "Walk in the Night" (1972). One of his last successes was Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
's first solo record, "That's How Love Goes" (1972).
Notably, Bristol was the producer and co-writer of the final singles for both Diana Ross & the Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
, before each group lost its namesake lead singer. While the Miracles' "We've Come Too Far to End It Now
We've Come Too Far to End It Now
We've Come Too Far to End It Now was a 1972 single by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles on its Tamla Label subsidiary, and taken from their album, "Flying High Together", the group's final studio album with original lead singer Smokey Robinson.This song charted at #46 on the Billboard Pop...
" (1972) was an original, the Supremes' "Someday We'll Be Together
Someday We'll Be Together
"Someday We'll Be Together" is a song made popular as the last of twelve number-one singles for Diana Ross & the Supremes on the Motown label. It is the final Supremes song featuring Diana Ross, who left the group for a solo career in January 1970...
" (1969) was a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of a Johnny & Jackey single from 1961. Bristol is the male voice
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
on the Supremes' version of "Someday We'll Be Together," singing response to Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
' lead vocal (Ross actually recorded the song with session singers
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
replacing the other two Supremes).
Producer and solo performer
Bristol left Motown in 1973 to join CBSCBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
as a producer. He worked with a number of emerging singers that included Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford
Randy Crawford is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist...
, for whom Bristol wrote "Caught in Love's Triangle", as well as producing established performers such as Marlena Shaw
Marlena Shaw
Marlena Shaw is an American singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in television commercials.-Biography:She was first introduced to music by her uncle Jimmy Burgess, a jazz trumpet player...
, Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
and Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
. Now in his early 30s, he was anxious to resume his own recording career, and when CBS/Columbia showed little enthusiasm he signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with MGM
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
.
At MGM, Bristol recorded two successful album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s and charted with several singles, notably "Hang on in There Baby
Hang On In There Baby
"Hang on in There Baby" is a song written by Johnny Bristol, and recorded by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow for his debut solo album, Open Road. The song was released as the album's third single in America, and was also released as a single in Germany and to radio in the Netherlands due it's...
" (1974, #8 US Pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, #2 US R&B chart and #3 UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
), "You and I" (1974, #20 US R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
), "Leave My World" (1975, #23 US R&B) and "Do It To My Mind" (1976, #5 US R&B). He also recorded the original version of "Love Me for a Reason
Love Me for a Reason
"Love Me for a Reason" is a song by The Osmonds, and released in 1974. Twenty years later, Boyzone covered the song. Both versions were successful, reaching the top ten of the charts in many countries.-Original song:...
", later a major hit for The Osmonds
The Osmonds
The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied career—a career that took them from singing barbershop music as children, to achieving success as teen-music idols, to producing a hit television show, and to continued success as solo and group performers...
. He was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1975 for Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
, ultimately losing out to Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
.
Bristol then recorded two albums for Atlantic, Bristol's Creme (1976) and Strangers (1978). One track from the Atlantic period, "Strangers In The Dark Corners," has become popular 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
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, including Boz Scaggs. Bristol can be credited with creating Scaggs' blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul
Blue-eyed soul is a media term that was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by white artists, with a strong pop music influence. The term was first used in the mid-1960s to describe white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music of the Motown and...
sound for the Slow Dancer
Slow Dancer
Slow Dancer is the sixth album by Boz Scaggs, originally released by Columbia in 1974.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Boz Scaggs; except where indicated# "You Make It So Hard "# "Slow Dancer" - 3:10...
album (1974). Bristol also produced Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
' 1975 album, Memories Don't Leave Like People Do, which included five covers of Bristol's songs, including the title track. He continued to be held in high regard as a producer, and some of the other acts with whom he worked included Tavares
Tavares (band)
Tavares are a successful American R&B, funk and soul music group, composed of five Cape Verdean-American brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts.-Band members:...
, Margie Joseph and The Jackson Sisters
The Jackson Sisters
The Jackson Sisters were an American soul and disco family group in the 1970s...
.
Bristol's main market was in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by the early 1980s. His duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with Amii Stewart
Amii Stewart
Amy 'Amii' Paulette Stewart is an American contemporary R&B/disco/dance-pop singer, dancer and actress most famous for her hit disco record "Knock on Wood". Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's actress-singer daughter Sinitta.-Career:Amy Stewart was the...
on a medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
of "My Guy
My Guy
"My Guy" is a 1964 number-one hit single recorded by Mary Wells for the Motown label. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, the song is a woman's dedication to the goodness of her man .The single became the biggest hit ever for Wells, Motown's first female star, and reached the...
- My Girl" reached #39 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1980. A deal for Ariola/Hansa saw him score with club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
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 new product by Bristol appeared, with a 12" single "I'm Just a Musician" for Hansa. An affiliation in 1989 with the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists.-History:...
was brief, but did result in one of Bristol's most popular releases, "Man Up in the Sky", and a cover of the Bristol-penned "What Does it Take to Win Your Love", originally a hit for Jr. Walker & the All Stars.
Bristol's last releases were a 12" single
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
in 1991 for Whichway Records, "Come to Me", and an album, Life & Love, released for the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese market in 1993. The latter included Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
's "That's The Way I Feel About You" as a duet with his daughter, Shanna J. Bristol. The album received a US release three years later under the title Come To Me.
Bristol died in his Brighton Township, Michigan
Brighton Township, Michigan
Brighton Charter Township is a charter township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 17,673.- Communities :...
, home on 21 March 2004, of natural causes
Death by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
, at the age of sixty-five.
A comprehensive article on his career is contained in issue 51 of the music magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, In The Basement.
Albums
| Year | Title | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Hang On In There Baby | 12 | 82 | 7 |
| 1975 | Feeling The Magic | — | — | 29 |
| 1976 | Bristol's Creme | — | 154 | 43 |
| 1978 | Strangers | — | — | — |
| 1981 | Free to Be Me | — | — | — |
| 1993 | Life & Love (retitled Come To Me for 1995 US release) | — | — | — |
Compilation albums
- 1978 Best of Johnny Bristol - PolydorPolydor RecordsPolydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
- 2004 The MGM Years - Hip-O Select
Chart singles
| Year | Title / Songwriter(s) | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Hang On In There Baby" (Bristol) | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| 1974 | "You and I" (Bristol) | — | 48 | 20 |
| 1975 | "Leave My World" (Bristol) | — | — | 23 |
| 1976 | "Do It To My Mind" (Bristol) | — | 43 | 5 |
| 1977 | "I Sho' Like Groovin' With Ya" (Bristol) | — | — | 47 |
| 1977 | "You Turned Me On To Love" (Bristol) | — | — | 36 |
| 1980 | "Hang On In There Baby" (duet with Alton McClain) | — | — | 73 |
| 1980 | "My Guy My Guy "My Guy" is a 1964 number-one hit single recorded by Mary Wells for the Motown label. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, the song is a woman's dedication to the goodness of her man .The single became the biggest hit ever for Wells, Motown's first female star, and reached the... - My Girl" (Robinson Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy... - Robinson/White Ronald White Ronald "Ronnie" White was an African American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a founding member of The Miracles, and the only member to survive all of that group's line-up changes... ) (Duet Duet (music) A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as... with Amii Stewart Amii Stewart Amy 'Amii' Paulette Stewart is an American contemporary R&B/disco/dance-pop singer, dancer and actress most famous for her hit disco record "Knock on Wood". Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's actress-singer daughter Sinitta.-Career:Amy Stewart was the... ) |
39 | 63 | 76 |
See also
- List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of disco artists
- List of performers on Top of the Pops