Jesse Johnson (musician)
| Jesse Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jesse Woods Johnson |
| Born | June 1, 1960 |
| Origin | Rock Island, Illinois |
| Genres | Funk, rock, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels |
Warner Bros. A&M |
| Associated acts |
The Time Prince D'Angelo & The Vanguard Da Krash Paula Abdul Kool Skool TaMara and the Seen Janet Jackson |
Jesse Woods Johnson (born June 1, 1960) is an American musician best known as the guitarist in the original lineup of The Time (more recently known as The Original 7ven).
Johnson was born in Rock Island, Illinois. He moved to St. Louis at the age of nine and was raised by foster parents after his parents split up. At age 16 he moved back to Rock Island to live with his father Jackwood Johnson. Johnson began playing guitar when he was 15, honing his chops in local rock bands such as Treacherous Funk, Pilot, and Dealer, throughout his teens and early twenties. On a friend's recommendation, he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1981, where he met Morris Day and played briefly in Day's band which was called Enterprise. He then became the lead guitarist for the funk rock group, The Time.
Although Prince basically recorded the first two Time albums on his own with Morris Day, Johnson did contribute to the Vanity 6 project with a song called "Bite The Beat" co-written with Prince. On The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle, Johnson contributed to the smash singles "The Bird" and "Jungle Love" (the group's most memorable single), which were helped by the popularity of the Purple Rain film.
However, at the height of The Time's popularity following Purple Rain, Johnson left the band and with the help of Manager Owen Husney signed a solo deal with A&M Records in 1984 and released Jesse Johnson's Revue the following year. This album featured two other former members of The Time in Johnson's backing band, keyboardist Mark Cardenas and bassist Jerry Hubbard. Three songs were released from the album: "Be Your Man", "Can You Help Me" and "I Want My Girl", the much-slept-on slow song about a fateful relationship. Then came the popular funk non-album outing "Free World". Shockadelica containing the hit "Crazay", the duet with Sly Stone, and Every Shade of Love followed over the next three years, building on the inventive, elaborate sound he forged with The Time. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s Johnson also featured on the soundtracks to The Breakfast Club (contributing "Heart Too Hot To Hold", a duet with Stephanie Spruill), Pretty In Pink, Another 48 Hrs. and White Men Can't Jump.
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