Johnny Bristol

Johnny Bristol (born February 3, 1939 as John William Bristol in Morganton , North Carolina , † March 21, 2004 in Howell , Michigan ) was an American soul singer, producer and songwriter who worked with Harvey in the 1960s Fuqua (1929-2010) wrote or produced numerous classics of the genre for the Motown record company . From 1974 onwards, Bristol also recorded records himself and immediately landed an international, Grammy- nominated hit with Hang on in There Baby , which he was unable to repeat on this scale despite numerous other publications.

Career

The early years and successes at Motown

Johnny Bristol's musical career began in the late 1950s. The musician, who had sung in a band in high school, was serving in the US Air Force when he met Jackey Beavers. With him he founded the duo Johnny & Jackey , which from 1959 released a few singles on smaller labels such as Anna or Tri-Phi, but could not record any notable successes. Noteworthy, however, was the recording Someday We'll Be Together , which was to become a top hit in 1969 in a version of the Supremes . This composition was created not only in collaboration with Beavers, but also with Harvey Fuqua, who in the future entered into a permanent songwriting partnership with Bristol.

After the labels Anna and Tri-Phi were bought up by the up-and-coming record company Motown, their enterprising boss Berry Gordy Jr. recognized the potential of Bristol and Fuqua's compositions, which were henceforth performed by top-class artists such as Marvin Gaye , Tammi Terrell , The Marvelettes , The Isley Brothers , Gladys Knight & the Pips , David Ruffin , The Spinners , Four Tops and of course the Supremes. Bristol also asserted itself as a producer: He was responsible for the Gaye / Terrell duets Ain't No Mountain High Enough , Your Precious Love and If I Could Build My Whole World Around You (all 1967) as well as the first solo single by Jermaine Jackson, That's How Love Goes (1972), or the last singles of the Supremes with Diana Ross ( Someday We'll Be Together , 1969) or the Miracles with Smokey Robinson ( We've Come Too Far to End It Now , 1972) .

Hang on in There Baby : Career high point in the mid-1970s

Bristol's contract with Motown ended in 1973. Gordy was not interested in giving him a chance as a singer, a fact that led Bristol not to renew the contract. The following year he signed a recording contract with MGM and released his debut Hang on in There Baby with the single hit of the same name. The song was a huge hit, numbering third in the UK, eighth in the US and number two on the US R&B charts. Cover versions by Bette Midler (1979) and many years later by Gary Barlow (1997) added to the song's popularity. Two other compositions from Hang on in There Baby became known through other performers: Tom Jones recorded Memories Don't Leave Like People Do , while The Osmonds had a big hit with Love Me for a Reason . Bristol received two Grammy nominations, one for best newcomer and one for best R&B vocal performance of the year. Still, the collaboration between Bristol and MGM only lasted two albums and a few singles. You and I (1974) and Leave My World (1975) were successful in the R&B charts, but the crossover success largely failed to materialize.

Bristol was also still in demand as a producer: The LP Power Of Love (1973) was created with soul legend Jerry Butler , for Buddy Miles he produced All the Faces of Buddy Miles (1974) and the cuddly singer of the 1950s and 1960s, Johnny Mathis , he gave a contemporary sound on The Heart of a Woman (1974). This was followed by collaborations with Boz Scaggs ( Slow Dancer , 1974), Margie Joseph ( Feeling My Way , 1978) and Marlena Shaw ( Let Me in Your Life , 1982).

Bristol later moved to Atlantic for two albums, Bristol's Creme (1976) and Strangers (1978) . With Do It to My Mind , Bristol once again achieved a respectable hit in the USA (43rd place, R&B 5th place), which musically aimed at the disco era of that time and was very successful in the discos. Notable recordings were made in 1980 in the form of two duets: Bristol recorded a new version of Hang on in There Baby together with Alton McClain . In the same year a single with Amii Stewart followed , a medley of two well-known Motown evergreens, My Guy from Mary Wells and My Girl from the Temptations - irony: Bristol had neither written nor produced either song in its Motown days. Together with Stewart, Bristol also appeared on the German TV show Musikladen and landed another small hit on both sides of the Atlantic: No. 39 in Great Britain, No. 63 in the USA and No. 76 in the R&B charts.

Waning success and attempts at comeback: the years after 1980

The following year, Bristol's last album, Free to Be Me, was released before a major hiatus. Love No Longer Has a Hold on Me was another hit in the clubs of the time. In the late 1980s, Bristol returned for a comeback attempt on the Motorcity label. There were only a few singles that were hardly noticed. It was similar with his album Life & Love in 1993. But the boy band Boyzone had a great success in 1994/5 with a remake of Love Me for a Reason . Bristol's name more or less disappeared from the headlines but remained active with live performances until his death in 2004. Bristol died of natural causes.

Private

Johnny Bristol was a time with Iris Gordy, a niece of Berry Gordy Jr. married. Iris was also active as a songwriter and producer for Motown.

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		UK	US
1974	Hang on in there baby	UK12 (7 weeks) UK	US82 (17 weeks) US	First published: 1974
1976	Bristol's cream	-	US154 (11 weeks) US	First published: 1976

more publishments

• 1975: Feeling The Magic
• 1978: Best of
• 1978: Strangers
• 1981: Free to Be Me
• 1993: Life & Love
• 2004: The Years

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)		Remarks
		UK	US
1974	Hang On In There Baby Hang On In There Baby	UK3 silver (11 weeks)UK	US8 (17 weeks) US	First published: June 1974
	You And I Hang On In There Baby	-	US48 (7 weeks) US	First published: November 1974
1976	Do It To My Mind Bristol’s Cream	-	US43 (11 weeks) US	First published: November 1976
1980	My Girl / My Guy Images	UK39 (5 weeks) UK	US63 (8 weeks) US	First published: July 1980 with Amii Stewart

Web links

• Johnny Bristol at Allmusic (English)
• Johnny Bristol at Discogs (English)
• Johnny Bristol in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Biography , IMDB.com, accessed August 25, 2011
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Bill Dahl: Motown: The Golden Years , Krause Publications 2001, pages 216-218, ISBN 0-87349-286-2
3. ^ Grammy nominations , Los Angeles Times, accessed August 25, 2011
4. ↑ Jerry Butler - Power of Love , Discogs.com, accessed August 26, 2011
5. ^ Buddy Miles: All the Faces of Buddy Miles , Discogs.com, accessed August 26, 2011
6. ↑ Johnny Mathis: The Heart of a Woman , Discogs.com, accessed August 26, 2011
7. ↑ Boz Scaggs: Slow Dancer , Discogs.com, accessed August 26, 2011
8. ^ Margie Joseph: Feeling My Way , Discogs.com, accessed August 26, 2011
9. ↑ ^{a b} In Remembrance: Johnny Bristol ( Memento of the original from March 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Discomuseum.net, accessed August 25, 2011 
10. ↑ Chart placements Love Me for a Reason , Hitparade.ch, accessed on August 26, 2011
11. ↑ Motown's Johnny Bristol dead at 65 , United Press International, upi.com, March 23, 2004, accessed August 26, 2011
12. ↑ Iris Gordy , Discogs.com
13. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: UK US
14. ↑ Music Sales Awards: UK