Taborah Johnson
Encyclopedia
Taborah Johnson also known as Tabby Johnson, is a Canadian
singer and actor. She is the sister of actor Clark Johnson
and rock and jazz singer Molly Johnson
.
She began her career in the Toronto production of Hair
as a teenager. She was subsequently a backing vocalist for Rick James
from 1979 to 1982, including on James' most famous single, "Super Freak
". She subsequently returned to Toronto, where she sang as a jazz
performer and as a backing vocalist for her sister Molly's band Infidels
, and acted in occasional film and television roles, including appearances on Cagney and Lacey, Airwaves
, E.N.G.
and Clark's Homicide: Life on the Street
, and regular roles in the children's series Polka Dot Door
, The Big Comfy Couch
and Noddy, as well as the film A Holiday Romance
. She appeared as the FLOTUS Chief of Staff, assistant to the First Lady, in her brother Clark's feature film The Sentinel
, and the 1984 HBO TV movie The Guardian with Lou Gossett and Martin Sheen.
She has also been working as creating voices in animation such as Star Wars: Ewoks
, Star Wars: Droids
, Babar
The Care Bears
, Rupert
, Beverly Hills Teens
, Babar
, Little Shop
, Dinosaucers
, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
, Madballs
, My Pet Monster
, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
, Ned's Newt
, The Neverending Story
, Flash Gordon, ALF: The Animated Series
, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Bad Dog
, Little Rosey, Blazing Dragons
, The Busy World of Richard Scarry
, Committed
, George Shrinks
, The Animal Shelf, Franklin
, Quads!, Marvin The Tap-Dancing Horse
, Little Bear
and Sam and Max: Freelance Police.
In February, 2005, Johnson joined Toronto jazz station CJRT
as the part time host of a weekly, two hour, gospel music
show. She left CJRT barely two months later, amid allegations of racism
at the station. Johnson herself has alleged that a manager told her she was playing too many black
artists, and that the station was paying her significantly less than they paid many other hosts for equivalent duties. To date these allegations remain unproven.
In the summer of 2005, she appeared on Toronto news/talk station CFRB
, filling in for Mark Elliot on his late night talk radio
shift. In September, the station named her to a permanent, part time, shift on Saturdays from 4 to 6 p.m. EST. Tabby is no longer employed by the station.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
singer and actor. She is the sister of actor Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson , sometimes credited as Clark 'Slappy' Jackson, Clarque Johnson, and J. Clark Johnson, is an American actor and director who has worked in both television and film.-Early years:...
and rock and jazz singer Molly Johnson
Molly Johnson
Molly Johnson, OC is a Canadian Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter of pop and jazz.-Biography:Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the National Ballet School and the Banff School of Fine Arts...
.
She began her career in the Toronto production of Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
as a teenager. She was subsequently a backing vocalist for Rick James
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
from 1979 to 1982, including on James' most famous single, "Super Freak
Super Freak
"Super Freak" is a 1981 hit single produced and performed by Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' album Street Songs and became one of James' signature songs. It features background vocals from Motown labelmates The Temptations, in which the bass...
". She subsequently returned to Toronto, where she sang as a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
performer and as a backing vocalist for her sister Molly's band Infidels
Infidels (band)
Infidels were a Canadian funk-rock band in the 1990s.The band formed in 1990 when Molly Johnson reunited with Norman Orenstein, her partner in the short-lived 1980s band Alta Moda. They added Washington Savage, Jeff Jones and Owen Tennyson to the lineup, and released a self-titled album in 1991 on...
, and acted in occasional film and television roles, including appearances on Cagney and Lacey, Airwaves
Airwaves (TV series)
Airwaves is a Canadian television dramedy which aired on CBC from 1986 to 1990.The Toronto-filmed show starred Roberta Maxwell as Jean Lipton, a radio talk show host and widowed mother, who lived with her daughter Zoe, played by Ingrid Veninger, and her father Bob, played by Roland Hewgill...
, E.N.G.
E.N.G.
E.N.G. is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto television news station . The show aired on CTV from 1988 to 1994...
and Clark's Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, and regular roles in the children's series Polka Dot Door
Polka Dot Door
Polka Dot Door was a long-running children's television series produced and broadcast by TVOntario from 1971 until 1993. The show, which aired Monday to Friday, was set in a large playhouse...
, The Big Comfy Couch
The Big Comfy Couch
The Big Comfy Couch is a Canadian children's television series about Loonette the Clown and her doll Molly, who solve everyday problems on their "Big Comfy Couch". It aired from 1992 until early 2006. Re-runs of the show are still being aired on Treehouse TV. It was produced by Cheryl Wagner and...
and Noddy, as well as the film A Holiday Romance
A Holiday Romance
A Holiday Romance is a 1999 film directed by Bobby Roth and starring Naomi Judd, Andy Griffith, and Gerald McRaney. This film has been released on DVD.-Cast:*Naomi Judd - Lily Waite*Andy Griffith - Jake Peterson*Gerald McRaney - Cal Peterson...
. She appeared as the FLOTUS Chief of Staff, assistant to the First Lady, in her brother Clark's feature film The Sentinel
The Sentinel (2006 film)
The Sentinel is a 2006 action thriller film about a veteran United States Secret Service bodyguard who is suspected as a traitor after an attempted assassination of the president reveals that someone within the Service is providing information to the assassins...
, and the 1984 HBO TV movie The Guardian with Lou Gossett and Martin Sheen.
She has also been working as creating voices in animation such as Star Wars: Ewoks
Star Wars: Ewoks
Star Wars: Ewoks is an American/Canadian animated television series featuring the Ewok characters introduced in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....
, Star Wars: Droids
Star Wars: Droids
Star Wars: Droids, also known as Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, was an animated television series that featured the exploits of R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droids who have appeared in all six Star Wars films...
, Babar
Babar (TV series)
Babar is an animated television series produced in Canada by Nelvana Limited and The Clifford Ross Company. It premiered in 1989 on CBC and HBO, subsequently was rerun on HBO Family and Qubo. The series is based on Jean de Brunhoff's original Babar books, and was Nelvana's first international...
The Care Bears
The Care Bears (TV series)
The Care Bears is an animated television series based on the Care Bears franchise, which aired between 1985 and 1988 in syndication; on the ABC network in the United States; and on Global in Canada. The 1985 episodes were produced by DIC Entertainment; the ABC/Global episodes were made by...
, Rupert
Rupert (TV series)
Rupert is an animated television series based on the Mary Tourtel character Rupert Bear, produced by Nelvana, Ellipse Programmé and TVS for the first season, with Scottish Television taken over control when TVS closed. Aired from 1991 to 1997 with 65 half-hour episodes produced. It was broadcast...
, Beverly Hills Teens
Beverly Hills Teens
Beverly Hills Teens is an animated children's television program which debuted in 1987, animated by DiC Entertainment. The namesake teenagers have exaggerated wealth, and face stereotypical teenage concerns. They represent a variety of European backgrounds. There are sixty-five episodes all in one...
, Babar
Babar (TV series)
Babar is an animated television series produced in Canada by Nelvana Limited and The Clifford Ross Company. It premiered in 1989 on CBC and HBO, subsequently was rerun on HBO Family and Qubo. The series is based on Jean de Brunhoff's original Babar books, and was Nelvana's first international...
, Little Shop
Little Shop
Little Shop is a 1991 animated television series about a teenager and a giant talking plant that eats everything in sight. Little Shop was based on the off-broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors, which was based on the 1960 Roger Corman film The Little Shop of Horrors...
, Dinosaucers
Dinosaucers
Dinosaucers Dinosaucers Dinosaucers (known in Japan as: is an animated television series co-produced in the United States, Canada and Japan. It was created by DIC Entertainment and Madhouse which has done the overseas animation and in association with Ellipse Programmé and Nelvana. This animated...
, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors is a French/North American animated TV show which first aired on September 16, 1985. It was produced by DIC Entertainment , and animated by Japanese animation studios Sunrise, Shaft, Studio Giants, Studio Look and Swan Production...
, Madballs
Madballs
Madballs were a series of toy rubber balls created by AmToy, a subsidiary company of American Greetings in the mid-1980s.The toys incorporated gross-out humor in the vein of Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids...
, My Pet Monster
My Pet Monster
My Pet Monster is a plush doll first produced by American Greetings in 1986. As one of the few plush dolls marketed to boys at the time, My Pet Monster would prove popular throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. The doll has blue fur, horns, and a fanged smile and is recognizable by its orange...
, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs may refer to:*Xenozoic Tales, a comic book also known as Cadillacs and Dinosaurs*Cadillacs and Dinosaurs , a 1993 animated television series*Cadillacs and Dinosaurs , a 1992 arcade game...
, Ned's Newt
Ned's Newt
Ned's Newt is a Canadian/German cartoon series produced by Nelvana and TMO Film GmbH. The program aired from 1993 to 1996 in Germany, and on Teletoon from 1997 to 1998 in Canada. In the United States, the program aired on Fox Kids from 1998 to 1999, and was later rerun on Fox Family Channel...
, The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story (TV series)
The Neverending Story: The Animated Adventures of Bastian Balthazar Bux is an animated television series, produced by CineVox , Ellipse , and Nelvana , aired for one season on HBO, ran for 26 episodes, and loosely based on Michael Ende's book, The Neverending Story .In the animated series, the...
, Flash Gordon, ALF: The Animated Series
Alf: The Animated Series
ALF: The Animated Series was an animated cartoon spin-off based on the live-action Sitcom series ALF. It premiered on September 26, 1987 and ran for 26 episodes.-Synopsis:...
, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Bad Dog
Bad Dog (TV series)
Bad Dog was an animated cartoon that aired on FOX Family and Teletoon in 1998. The cartoon focused on the Potanski family and their dog Berkeley. The show's gimmick was that, whenever Berkeley was told that he was a bad dog, he would freeze and pretend to be dead until someone told him he was a...
, Little Rosey, Blazing Dragons
Blazing Dragons
Blazing Dragons is the title of a popular British cartoon series, the brainchild of Monty Python's Terry Jones. A coinciding graphic adventure video game was released for the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996 by Crystal Dynamics...
, The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry
The Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
, Committed
Committed (TV series)
Committed is a Canadian animated television series that aired on CTV, beginning in 2001. It is currently airing on YTV.It was based on an American comic strip of the same name by Michael Fry, better known for Over the Hedge....
, George Shrinks
George Shrinks
George Shrinks is a Canadian animated television series. It is based on the children's book by William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and in Canada by Nelvana, in association with Public Broadcasting Service . It tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named George who, for unexplained...
, The Animal Shelf, Franklin
Franklin (TV series)
Franklin is a Canadian animated television series, based on the Franklin the Turtle books by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois. The television series was named after its main character, Franklin the Turtle...
, Quads!, Marvin The Tap-Dancing Horse
Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse
Marvin The Tap-Dancing Horse is a Canadian animated television show produced by Nelvana. It tells the stories of a young horse named Marvin who is part of a carnival. Among the Executive Producers are Michael Paraskevas and Betty Paraskevas, creators of Maggie and the Ferocious Beast who also...
, Little Bear
Little Bear (TV series)
Maurice Sendak's Little Bear is a Canadian children's television series starring a Little Bear voiced by Kristin Fairlie. Originally produced by Nelvana for Nickelodeon, it currently airs on Treehouse TV in Canada and Nick Jr. in the United States. A direct-to-video full-length feature film was...
and Sam and Max: Freelance Police.
In February, 2005, Johnson joined Toronto jazz station CJRT
CJRT-FM
CJRT-FM is a Canadian public radio station, which broadcasts at 91.1 on the FM dial in Toronto, Ontario. CJRT currently operates as JAZZ.FM91.The station transmits at a strength of 40,000 watts; as its transmitter facilities are at the CN Tower...
as the part time host of a weekly, two hour, gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
show. She left CJRT barely two months later, amid allegations of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
at the station. Johnson herself has alleged that a manager told her she was playing too many black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
artists, and that the station was paying her significantly less than they paid many other hosts for equivalent duties. To date these allegations remain unproven.
In the summer of 2005, she appeared on Toronto news/talk station CFRB
CFRB (AM)
CFRB, Newstalk 1010, is an AM radio clear-channel station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, broadcasting on 1010 kHz, with a shortwave radio simulcast by CFRX-SW on 6.070 MHz. The station broadcasts a mix of talk and news throughout the day from its transmitter located in the community of...
, filling in for Mark Elliot on his late night talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
shift. In September, the station named her to a permanent, part time, shift on Saturdays from 4 to 6 p.m. EST. Tabby is no longer employed by the station.