Johnny Kemp
| Johnny Kemp | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jonathan Kemp |
| Born |
August 2, 1959 Nassau, Bahamas |
| Died | April 16, 2015 (aged 55) Montego Bay, Jamaica |
| Genres | R&B, pop, new jack swing |
| Occupation(s) | Singer–songwriter, Producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, Keyboards, Bass Synthesizer |
| Years active | 1979–2015 |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Associated acts | Keith Sweat, Teddy Riley, Change, Luther Vandross, Chic |
Jonathan Kemp (August 2, 1959 – April 16, 2015) was a Bahamian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a songwriter in late 1979 and is perhaps best known for his solo work, including his single "Just Got Paid" (1988), which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1989.
Kemp began singing in nightclubs in the Bahamas at age 13. He moved to Harlem, New York in 1979 with the band Kinky Fox. In the early 1980s, Kemp became a successful session musician and songwriter, singing backup for the B. B. & Q. Band on their 1982 album All Night Long (on which he co-wrote several tracks) and for Change on their 1982 album Sharing Your Love (on which he co-wrote "Take You To Heaven").
Kemp landed a solo recording contract with Columbia Records and released his eponymous debut album in 1986. It charted in the U.S. on Billboard 's Top Black Albums chart, reaching No. 36 on 28 June of that year. He scored a minor hit single from the album with "Just Another Lover" (co-written by Kashif), which peaked at No. 14 Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart on 21 June 1986 and hit the Hot Dance/Disco charts, reaching No. 26 in Club Play and No. 35 in 12 Inch Singles Sales that same month.
Greater success came the following year with the release of his Secrets of Flying (1987) album, which contained a pair of Top 5 hits on Billboard′s Hot Black Singles chart, "Dancin' with Myself" and "Just Got Paid", the latter hitting No. 1. "Just Got Paid" hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1988, and sold over a million singles in the United States. It went to top the Hot Dance Music/Club Play and provided his only UK Singles Chart entry, peaking at No. 68 in August 1988. His only other Hot 100 entry was "Birthday Suit", a tune from the soundtrack to the movie, Sing (1989), which climbed to No. 36 in 1989.
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