Johnnie Taylor



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JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS

Johnnie Taylor



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Johnnie Taylor



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Young gospel phenom, gritty Stax/Volt soulster, lady-killing balladeer, chart-topping disco king, Southern soul-blues stalwart -- Johnnie Taylor somehow always managed to adapt to the times, and he parlayed that versatility into a recording career that lasted nearly four decades. Nicknamed the "Philosopher of Soul" during his Stax days, that version of Taylor is best remembered for his 1968 R&B chart-topping smash "Who's Making Love," but far and away his biggest success was 1976's across-the-board number one "Disco Lady," the first single ever certified platinum (which at the time meant sales of over two million copies). When the national hits dried up, Taylor wound up as one of the most prolific artists on the Malaco label, a refuge for many Southern soul and blues veterans whose styles had fallen out of popular favor by the '80s. Taylor called Malaco home for over 15 years and kept on recording and performing right up to his passing in 2000.

Johnnie Harrison Taylor was born in Crawfordsville, AR, on May 5, 1934 (though he usually gave his birth year as 1938); he grew up mostly in nearby West Memphis. He began singing in church as a young child and later moved to Kansas City, where he performed with a gospel group called the Melody Kings; it was through this outfit that he initially met and befriended Soul Stirrers frontman Sam Cooke. In 1953, Taylor left home and moved to Chicago, where he joined the doo wop group the Five Echoes; shortly thereafter, he began performing concurrently with the gospel group the Highway Q.C.'s, which had once been home to Sam Cooke. In 1957, Taylor would replace Cooke in the hugely influential Soul Stirrers, after Cooke departed for a career in secular music.

After four years with the Soul Stirrers, Taylor escaped gospel music's waning popularity and followed Cooke into the world of secular soul, becoming the first artist to sign with Cooke's label, Sar, in 1961. Taylor released a few singles on Sar and another Cooke label, Derby, over the next few years, including the minor R&B hit "Rome (Wasn't Built in a Day)." Unfortunately, Cooke was murdered in late 1964, and his labels folded, leaving Taylor without a record deal. He returned to the Memphis area and signed with the enormously popular Stax label in 1965, debuting early the following year with "I Had a Dream." Taylor scored a few minor R&B hits over the next few years, including "I Got to Love Somebody's Baby," "Somebody's Sleeping in My Bed," and "Next Time." He hit it big in late 1968 with the gritty, funky "Who's Making Love," his first number one R&B hit, which also made the pop Top Five. Taylor was able to land some decent-sized follow-up hits in the years to come, among them "Take Care of Your Homework," "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone," "Steal Away," and "I Am Somebody." By the early '70s, Taylor's bread and butter had become smooth, elegant crooning, as typified by his 1973 album Taylored in Silk and his two attendant ballad smashes, "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)" and "Cheaper to Keep Her."

When Stax went bankrupt in 1975, Taylor moved over to CBS/Columbia, debuting in 1976 with the album Eargasm. Its first single, "Disco Lady," was an instant smash, capturing the spirit of the era and selling over two million copies (although some soul fans still debate whether it was a true disco song). "Disco Lady" was Taylor's first number one pop hit, despite losing airplay over its supposedly suggestive lyrics, and it proved such a phenomenon that CBS eagerly pushed him to record more disco-oriented material, something Taylor wasn't extraordinarily comfortable with. He recorded several more albums for the label through 1980, but never came close to duplicating the success of "Disco Lady" and left to sign with the smaller Beverly Glen imprint in 1982.

Taylor recorded one album for Beverly Glen, 1982's Just Ain't Good Enough, which produced a minor R&B hit in "What About My Love." Still searching for a home more in line with the environment at Stax, Taylor soon jumped to Malaco Records, a Southern label dedicated to preserving the region's classic soul and blues sounds (albeit sometimes with a bit less grit than in days of old). Debuting with 1984's This Is Your Night, Taylor and Malaco clicked right away, and he wound up recording a total of 12 albums for the label over the next 15 years, ranking as one of their best-selling artists. Taylor's style during this era had evolved into a hybrid of soul and blues, with more emphasis on the latter than at any other point in his career; he continued to tour steadily through the '80s and '90s, and landed a few more singles on the lower reaches of the R&B chart up until 1990. In 1996, his album Good Love! topped the Billboard blues chart. Taylor's final album was 1999's Gotta Get the Groove Back; on May 31, 2000, he suffered a heart attack at his home in Duncanville, TX (a suburb of Dallas), and died at the hospital. -- Steve Huey of All Music Guide.
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LINKSYEARTITLE
1967 Wanted: One Soul Singer
1968 Who's Makin' Love?
1969 the Johnnie Taylor Philosophy Continues
1969 Raw Blues
1970 Rare Stamps
1971 One Step Beyond
1973 Taylored in Silk
1974 Super Taylor
1974 the Best of Johnnie Taylor
1976 Eargasm
1977 Rated Extraordinaire
1977 Reflections (Chronicle)
1977 Disco 9000
1978 Ever Ready
1979 She's Killing Me
1980 New Day
1982 Just Ain't Good Enough
1984 this Is Your Night
1985 Wall to Wall
1986 Lover Boy
1988 in Control
1989 Crazy 'Bout You
1990 Little Bluebird
1991 (I Know It's Wrong but I) Just Can't Do Right
1994 Real Love
1995 Take this Heart of Mine
1996 Brand New
1996 Good Love!
1996 Stop Half-loving These Women
1997 Disco Lady
1997 Cheaper to Keep Her
1998 Taylored to Please
1999 Gotta Get the Groove Back
2003 There's No Good in Goodbye
2007 Live at the Summit Club


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1967 Wanted: One Soul Singer

01. I Got to Love Somebody's Baby
02. Just the One I've Been Lookin' For
03. Watermelon Man
04. Where Can a Man Go from Here
05. Toe-Hold
06. Outside Love
07. Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)
08. Blues in the Night
09. I Had a Dream
10. Sixteen Tons
11. Little Bluebird



1968 Who's Makin' Love?

01. Who's Making Love?
02. I'm Not the Same Person
03. Hold on This Time
04. Woman Across the River
05. Can't Trust Your Neighbor
06. Take Care of Your Homework
07. I'm Trying
08. Poor Make Believer
09. Payback Hurts
10. Mr. Nobody
11. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water
12. Rumors


1969 The Johnnie Taylor Philosophy Continues

01. Testify (I Wonna)
02. Separation Line
03. Love Bones
04. Love Is a Hurting Thing
05. I Had a Fight With Love
06. I Could Never Be President
07. It's Amazing
08. Who Can I Turn To
09. Games People Play
10. It's Your Thing


1969 Raw Blues

01. Where There's Smoke There's Fire
02. Hello Sundown
03. Pardon Me Lady
04. Where Can a Man Go from Here
05. That Bone
06. That's Where It's At
07. Part Time Love
08. If I Had It to Do All Over
09. You're Good for Me
10. You Can't Keep a Good Man Down
11. You Can't Win With a Losing Hand



1970 Rare Stamps

01. Who's Making Love
02. You Can't Get Away from it
03. Toe Hold
03. Just the One (I've Been Looking For)
04. I Ain't Particular
05. Take Care of Your Homework
06. I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby
07. Little Blue Bird
08. I Had a Dream
09. Outside Love
10. Somebody's Sleeping in My Bed
11. If I Had to Do All Over



1971 One Step Beyond

01. Time After Time
02. Party Life
03. Will You Love Me Forever
04. I Am Somebody (Pt. 1-2)
05. I Don't Wanna Lose You (Pt. 1-2)
06. Don't Take My Sunshine
07. Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone
08. Fool Like Me
09. Steal Away
10. Friday Night


1973 Taylored in Silk

01. We're Getting Careless With Our Love
02. Starting All over Again
03. Cheaper to Keep Her
04. Talk to Me
05. I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)
06. One Thing Wrong With My Woman
07. I Can Read Between the Lines
08. This Bitter Earth
09. Hijackin' Love
10. Love in the Streets
11. Standing in for Jody
12. Shackin' Up
13. Doing My Own Thing (Pt. 1)
14. Doing My Own Thing (Pt. 2)


1974 Super Taylor

01. It's September
. 02. Darling I Love You
03. Try Me Tonight
04. Free
05. I've Been Born Again
06. At Night Time (My Pillow Tells a Tale on Me)
07. It Don't Pay to Get up in the Morning
08. Just One Moment


1974 The Best Of Johnnie Taylor

01. Who's Making Love
02. Steal Away
03. Somebody's Sleeping In My Bed
04. Take Care Of Your Homework
05. I Believe In You (You Believe In Me)
06. We're Getting Careless With Our Love
07. I've Been Born Again
08. Testify (I Wanna)
09. Love Bones
10. Stop Doggin' Me
11. Cheaper To Keep Her



1976 Eargasm

01. Disco Lady
02. Please Don't Stop (That Song from Playing)
03. Don't Touch Her Body (If You Can't Touch Her Mind)
04. I'm Gonna Keep on Loving You
05. You're the Best Girl in the World
06. Running Out of Lies
07. Somebody's Gettin' It
08. It Don't Hurt Me Like It Used To
09. Pick up the Pieces



1977 Rated Extraordinaire

01. Your Love Is Rated X
02. Stormy Here I Go
03. Did He Make Love to You?
04. And I Panicked
05. Love Is Better in the A M
06. It Ain't What You Do
07. Not Just Another Booty Song
08. I'm Just a Shoulder to Cry On
09. Stop Giving People Hard Luck



1977 Reflections (Chronicle)

01. Who's Making Love
02. Take Care Of Your Homework
03. Testify (I Wanna)
04. I Could Never Be President
05. Love Bones
06. Steal Away
07. I Am Somebody, (Pt. 1)
08. Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone
09. I Don't Want To Lose You
10. Hijacking' Love
11. Standing In For Jody
12. Doing My Own Thing (pt. 1)
13. Stop Doggin' Me
14. I Believe In You (You Believe In Me)
15. Cheaper To Keep Her
16. We're Getting Careless With Our Love
17. I've Been Born Again
18. It's September
19. Try Me Tonight
20. Just Keep On Lovin' Me


1977 Disco 9000

01. Disco Lady
02. I Got This Thing for Your Love
03. Play Something Pretty
04. Somebody's Gettin' It
05. Your Love Is Rated X
06. Disco 9000
07. (Ooh-Wee) She's Killing Me
08. Ever Ready
09. Keep on Dancing
10. You're the Best in the World


1978 Ever Ready

01. Hey Mister Melody Maker
02. Ever Ready
03. Keep on Dancing
04. I Gotta Keep Groovin' You
05. Soul Fillet
06. Bittersweet Love
07. I Love to Make Love When
08. Give Me My Baby


1979 She's Killing Me



1980 New Day



1982 Just Ain't Good Enough

01. What About My Love
02. Don't Wait
03. I'm So Proud
04. Just Ain't Good Enough
05. I Need a Freak
06. Reaganomics


1984 This Is Your Night

01. This Is Your Night
02. L.O.V.E.
03. Drown in My Own Tears
04. Love to Call Mine
05. Still Called the Blues
06. She's Cheating on Me
07. After Hours Joint
08. Lady, My Whole World Is You
09. Good With My Hips
10. That's America


1985 Wall to Wall

01. Wall to Wall
02. Can I Love You
03. When She Stops Asking
04. Just Because
05. I'm Changing
06. No Refund
07. Nothing as Beautiful as You
08. 383-Emergency
09. There's Nothing I Wouldn't Do



1986 Lover Boy

01. Don't Make Me Late
02. Lover Boy
03. Lately
04. You Can't Win
05. Something Is Going Wrong
06. If I Lose Your Love
07. Girl of My Dreams
08. Nothing Like a Lady
09. Happy Time
10. Universal Lady


1988 In Control

01. You Knocked My Heart Out of Line
02. It Don't Hurt Me Like It Used To
03. In Control
04. Got to Leave This Woman
05. Let's Get Closer
06. I Found a Love
07. Now That You Cheated
08. Love's Easy to Fall Into
09. Everything's Out in the Open
10. That's the Way It Is


1989 Crazy 'Bout You

01. Still Crazy
02. Without You
03. Dance Floor to the Back Door
04. Money's Running Funny
05. For Your Precious Love
06. She's No Lady
07. Airtight Alibi
08. I Was Looking for Somebody
09. Nothin' But the Blues



1990 Little Bluebird

01. Little Bluebird
02. Toe Hold
03. I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby
04. Just the One (I've Been Looking For)
05. Outside Love
06. You Can't Get Away from It
07. I Had a Dream
08. Somebody's Sleeping in My Bed
09. I Ain't Particular
10. Steal Away [live]
11. Stop Doggin' Me [live]
12. Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone [live]


1991 (I Know It's Wrong But I) Just Can't Do Right

01. Crazy over You
02. Only My Woman Can
03. I Want Your Love
04. Change Your Habits
05. Guilty as Charged
06. I Know It's Wrong, But I Just Can't Do Right)
07. Are You Lonesome
08. What King of Man Do You Want?
09. That's Just a Woman's Way
10. Country All the Way


1994 Real Love

01. Back Street Love Affair
02. Too Much Week at the End of the Money
03. Lady in Red
04. Lady Soul
05. Changin' My Life With Your Love
06. Poor Boy Blues
07. Respect Yourself
08. Real Love
09. Sexy Dancer
10. Huntin' Just Ain't No More Fun


1995 Take This Heart of Mine



1996 Brand New



1996 Good Love!

01. Good Love
02. Last Two Dollars
03. Sending You a Kiss
04. Walk Away With Me
05. Too Many Memories
06. Ain't That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One)
07. Too Late to Try to Do It Right
08. Whole Lotta Lovin'
09. You Got Me in the Mood for Love
10. Slide On
11. Body Rock
12. This Masquerade


1996 Stop Half-Loving These Women

01. I Want to Get into You
02. Never My Love
03. Heaven Bless This Home
04. Stop Half Loving These Women
05. I Want You Back Again
06. Bittersweet Love
07. Stormy Weather
08. Love Account
09. Please Don't Stop the Music
10. Sneakin'


1997 Disco Lady



1997 Cheaper to Keep Her

01. Everything's Out in the Open
02. That's Just a Woman's Way
03. You Knocked My Heart Out of Line
04. Money's Running Funny
05. Nothing But the Blues
06. She's Cheating on Me
07. Nothing as Beautiful as You
08. Cheaper to Keep Her
09. No Refund
10. Something Is Going Wrong


1998 Taylored to Please

01. Groove Me
02. Cheatin on Me
03. I'm Not the Man You Need
04. Disco Lady, 2000
05. If You Take Your Love Away
06. You Couldn't Break Me
07. Kickin' Back, Chillin' Out
08. What Good Is a Man
09. Loose Hair in the Bathroom
10. Can't Live With You...
11. You Can't Strike Gold in a Silver Mine
12. Throw Your Hands in the Air
13. Disco Lady, 2000 Radio Slam ["Remix"]



1999 Gotta Get the Groove Back

01. Big Head Hundreds
02. I'm from the Old School
03. Juke Joint
04. One in a Million
05. Ease Back Out
06. Gotta Get the Groove Back
07. Wounded in the Battle of Love
08. Too Close for Comfort
09. I Love You Lady
10. Woman Don't Be Afraid
11. Let's Get Back on Track
12. Soul Heaven


2003 There's No Good in Goodbye

01.. If You're Lookin' for a Fool .
02. .This Is the Night for Makin' Up.
03. .Crazy 'Bout You Baby .
04. .Take Me to the Mardi Gras .
05. Too Wise to Be Your Fool
06. Baby Sittin
07. You Know It Ain't Right
08. I'm in a Midnight Mood
09. If You Take Your Love Away
10. I Found These Things
11. Please Sign the Dotted Line
12. Where Is Your Woman Tonight
13. Con Lover
14. Is This Love or Is This Business
15. I Reach for You
16. The Second Time Around


2007 Live at the Summit Club

01. Introduction by Rufus Thomas
02 Take Care of Your Homework
03. Little Bluebird
04. Steal Away
05. I Don't Wanna Lose You
06. Who's Making Love
07. Hello Sundown
08. Steal Away
09. Stop Doggin' Me
10. Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone


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