Willie Neal Johnson & The Gospel Keynotes
Encyclopedia
Willie Neal Johnson was a gospel singer who became known as "Country Boy" for his rootsy blues
-driven style and his down to earth friendly personality.
Willie was born in Tyler, Texas
on August 25, 1935 he was the oldest of six children in a musical family. His mother motivated her children to pursue their singing careers by taking them to church and making them sing on Sundays. While in his teens he was tapped to join Rev. C. W. Jackson's group the Five Ways of Joy Gospel Singers.
A few years later he formed Willie Neal Johnson and the Gospel Keynotes with long-time friends, Ralph McGee, Rev. J. D. Talley, Charles Bailey, John Jackson, Lonzo Jackson, and Archie B. McGee. After rising to popularity across the Southwest
the group signed to Nashboro Records where they scored a major hit with Show Me the Way. They received a Grammy nomination in 1980 for Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now. The Gospel Keynotes went on to record over 20 LP
s for Nashboro.
Line-up changes were common and among the more notable talents which passed through the roster in the following years were Paul Beasley, Larry McCowin, Donny Timmons, Alfred "Gino" Smith, Ermant Franklin Jr., Robert Williams, Jeffrey Newberry, Val Alexander, Rev. Charles McLean and Teddy Cross. After Nashboro closed its doors they signed to the Malaco Music label located in Jackson, MS. In 1985 they changed their name to Willie Neal Johnson and the New Keynotes. With Malaco they recorded seven albums. They were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Detroit and the American Gospel Quartet Hall of Fame in Birmingham, Alabama
in 1999.
Willie died of a stroke on January 10, 2001 at the age of 65 in Tyler, Texas. He was survived by his wife, Captoria, three sons, five daughters, and by his mother, Luretia.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-driven style and his down to earth friendly personality.
Willie was born in Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
on August 25, 1935 he was the oldest of six children in a musical family. His mother motivated her children to pursue their singing careers by taking them to church and making them sing on Sundays. While in his teens he was tapped to join Rev. C. W. Jackson's group the Five Ways of Joy Gospel Singers.
A few years later he formed Willie Neal Johnson and the Gospel Keynotes with long-time friends, Ralph McGee, Rev. J. D. Talley, Charles Bailey, John Jackson, Lonzo Jackson, and Archie B. McGee. After rising to popularity across the Southwest
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
the group signed to Nashboro Records where they scored a major hit with Show Me the Way. They received a Grammy nomination in 1980 for Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now. The Gospel Keynotes went on to record over 20 LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s for Nashboro.
Line-up changes were common and among the more notable talents which passed through the roster in the following years were Paul Beasley, Larry McCowin, Donny Timmons, Alfred "Gino" Smith, Ermant Franklin Jr., Robert Williams, Jeffrey Newberry, Val Alexander, Rev. Charles McLean and Teddy Cross. After Nashboro closed its doors they signed to the Malaco Music label located in Jackson, MS. In 1985 they changed their name to Willie Neal Johnson and the New Keynotes. With Malaco they recorded seven albums. They were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Detroit and the American Gospel Quartet Hall of Fame in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
in 1999.
Willie died of a stroke on January 10, 2001 at the age of 65 in Tyler, Texas. He was survived by his wife, Captoria, three sons, five daughters, and by his mother, Luretia.