Johnny Bristol

Infobox musical artist
Name = Johnny Bristol

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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = John William Bristol
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Born = February 3, 1939
Died = death date and age|2004|3|21|1939|2|3
Origin = Morganton, North Carolina, USA
Genre = soul, rhythm and blues
Occupation = Singer, songwriter, record producer
Years_active = 1959 - 1993
Label = Motown, MGM, Ariola/Hense, Atlantic
Associated_acts = Junior Walker, Supremes, Tom Jones, Tavares, Boz Scaggs
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Johnny Bristol (born John William Bristol, February 3 1939 - March 21 2004 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:acfixq85ld0e~T1 All Music Guide biography - accessed January 2008] ] ), was an African 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.

Motown Producer

Bristol first came to local fame in the Detroit area as a member of the soul duo "Johnny & Jackey" with Jackey Beavers, an associate Bristol met while in the U.S. Air Force. The pair recorded two singles in 1959 for Anna a label owned by Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis and four 45's for Gwen Gordy and Harvey Fuqua's Tri-Phi record label, none of which were successes beyond the Midwestern United States.

In the mid 1960s, Tri-Phi was absorbed by Motown Records, and Bristol began working with Fuqua as a songwriter and producer. Among Fuqua and Bristol's successes as producers were hit singles such as Marvin Gaye & 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 labels best selling acts including: Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell for whom he was producer on a number of hits including 'Your Precious Love'. Bristol's producer and/or writer credits included: 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 with Jr. Walker & the All Stars who charted with a number of Bristol written songs including big hits "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" (1969), "These Eyes" (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 [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040325/ai_n12775509 Obituary for Johnny Bristol - Independent, The (London), Mar 25, 2004 by Pierre Perrone] ] . 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).

Producer & Solo Performer

In 1973, Bristol left Motown joining first with CBS Records as a producer where he worked with a number of emerging singers that included Randy Crawford for whom Bristol wrote 'Caught In Love's Triangle' as well as production duties on established performers including Nancy Wilson, 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 contract with MGM. At MGM, Bristol recorded two successful albums and charted with several singles, notably "Hang On In There Baby" (1974, #8 Billboard Hot 100), "You and I" (1974, number 20 U.S. R&B), and "Leave My World" (1975, number 20 U.S. R&B). He also recorded the original version of "Love Me for a Reason", later a hit for The Osmonds. Bristol then recorded two albums for Atlantic "Creme" (1976) and "Strangers" (1980). One track from the Atlantic period "Strangers in the Dark Corners" has become a popular track 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. Amongst those with whom he worked was Boz Scaggs, and 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 continue to be held in high regard as a producer and some of the notable acts with whom he worked included: Jackson Sisters ,Tavares (band) and Margie Joseph.

Bristol's main market was in Europe by the early 1980s. 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 a new product by Bristol would appear with a 12" single "I'm Just a Musician" for Hense Forth. An affiliation in 1989 with the UK record label Motorcity Records was brief, but did result in the release of 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.

Johnny Bristol's last releases were a 12" single in 1991 for Whichway Records, "Come to Me", and an album "Life & Love" released for the Japanese market in 1993, the latter included a duet of Earth, Wind & Fire's "That's The Way I Feel About You" with his daughter Shanna J. Bristol. The album receive a a U S 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. [Motown:The Golden Years by Bill Dahl & Weldon A McDougall III p.216-218 Krause ISBN 0-87349-286-2] A comprehensive article on his Career is contained in the Music Magazine 'In The Basement Issue 51' [In The Basement Issue 51 August-October 2008 article by Greg Burgess http://www.btinternet.com/~inthebasement/itb.html]

Discography

Albums

*1974: "Hang On In There Baby"
*1975: "Feeling The Magic"
*1976: "Bristol's Creme"
*1979: "Strangers"
*1981: "Free to Be Me"
*1993: "Life & Love" (retitled "Come To Me" for USA release 1995)

Compilation album

*1978 "Best of Johnny Bristol" - Polydor
*2004 "The MGM Years" - Hip-O Select

ee also

*List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
*List of disco artists
*List of performers on Top of the Pops

References

External links

*allmusicguide|id=11:11se4j670wae~T1|Johnny Bristol