The Brothers Johnson
Guitarist/vocalist George Johnson and bassist/vocalist Louis Johnson formed the band Johnson Three Plus One with older brother Tommy and their cousin Alex Weir while attending school in Los Angeles. When they became professionals, the band backed such touring R&B acts as Bobby Womack and the Supremes. George and Louis Johnson later joined Billy Preston's band, and wrote "Music in My Life" and "The Kids and Me" for him before leaving his group in 1973.
Quincy Jones hired them to play on his LP Mellow Madness, and recorded four of their songs, including "Is It Love That We're Missing?" and "Just a Taste of Me." Jones took them on a Japanese tour, then produced their debut LP, Look Out for Number 1, after they signed with A&M, which was also his label at the time (1976). They scored a number one R&B and number three pop hit with "I'll Be Good to You," and enjoyed R&B chart-toppers in 1977 and 1980 respectively with "Strawberry Letter 23" and "Stomp!," while sustaining a consistent hit presence via such songs as "Get the Funk Out Ma Face" and "Runnin' for Your Lovin." Jones remade "I'll Be Good to You" in 1989 with Ray Charles and Chaka Khan on his Back on the Block release.
The Brothers earned platinum records for Look Out for Number 1 and Right on Time. Jones produced both of these, along with their third and fourth LPs, Blam and Light Up the Night. The group produced its single "The Real Thing" in 1981. It reached number 11 on the R&B charts, and the Brothers had another hit with "Welcome to the Club" in 1982. They started doing separate ventures; Louis Johnson played bass on Michael Jackson's Thriller LP and recorded a gospel album, while George Johnson worked with Steve Arrington. Leon Sylvers produced their mid-'80s return LP Out of Control; it didn't equal their past success, but got them another R&B hit with "You Keep Coming Back" in 1984. They recorded Kickin' in 1988, and co-wrote "Tomorrow" with Siedah Garrett for Jones' Back on the Block in 1989. Louis Johnson died at his home in Las Vegas in May 2015 at the age of 60.
© Ron Wynn /TiVo
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Discography
20 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Stomp: The Best Of The Brothers Johnson
R&B - Released by A&M on 6 Aug 2013
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Strawberry Letter 23
The Brothers Johnson, Shuggie Otis
Funk - Released by Goldenlane Records on 15 Jul 2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Brothers Johnson
R&B - Released by A&M on 26 Sep 2000
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Strawberry Letter 23: The Very Best Of The Brothers Johnson
R&B - Released by A&M on 1 Jan 2003
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Winners (Expanded Edition)
Funk - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on 1 Jan 1981
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Stomp! (Re-Recorded / Remastered)
Soul - Released by Cleopatra Records on 1 Jan 2011
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Strawberry Letter 23 - Greatest Hits
Soul - Released by Cleopatra Records on 29 Mar 2005
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Strawberry Letter 23 (Re-Recorded / Remastered)
Soul - Released by Cleopatra Records on 1 Sep 2010
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Stomp! (Re-Recorded - Sped Up)
Funk - Released by Cleopatra Records on 10 Apr 2023
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Strawberry Letter 23 (Charles J Remix)
Funk - Released by Cleopatra Records on 17 Dec 2021
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
When Your Mind Is Free (Live Hollywood '75)
Quincy Jones, The Brothers Johnson
Soul - Released by Wolf Tree on 2 Jan 2024
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Free Yourself, Be Yourself (O.M.G. Remix)
Pop - Released by A&M on 13 May 2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo