Johnnie Harrison Taylor

Bio:
Taylor moved to Kansas City, Missouri, at age ten with his grandmother, and during his teen years, sang with a gospel quartet, the Melody Kings. R&B, Gospel Singer. Born in Crawfordsville, Arkansas, but grew up in nearby West Memphis. He was the son of Ida Mae Jackson. He later moved to Kansas City, Missouri and began performing with the gospel group, The Melody Kings; through this gospel group, he met Sam Cooke. In 1957, he replaced Sam Cooke and became the lead vocalist for the gospel group the Soul Stirrers. After four years with the Soul Stirrers he began singing secular music. In 1961, he became the first artist to sign with Cooke's SAR Records label. In 1964, Sam Cooke was shot and killed, leaving Johnnie with just a few singles on the SAR label and without a record deal. He returned to Memphis, Tennessee in 1965 and signed with Stax Records. His Stax recordings include: "Who's Making Love?" (1968), "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone" (1970), "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)" (1972). In 1976, he released "Disco Lady" for Columbia Records (CBS) which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 & became the first RIAA platinum-certified single (2 million copies of the single sold). He recorded his last album in 1999 "Gotta Give the Groove Back" which featured the song, "Soul Heaven." In 1999, he was awarded the Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 2022, Taylor was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Bio by: Babe

"Stand by Me" is a song originally performed in 1961 by American singer-songwriter Ben E. King and written by him, along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who together used the pseudonym Elmo Glick. According to King, the title is derived from, and was inspired by, a spiritual written by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander called "Stand by Me Father," recorded by the Soul Stirrers with Johnnie Taylor singing lead.

Note: My grandpas first cousin. His father Willie B Taylor born 1914 my great grandpas brother. Showing his father on Social security application and 1920 &1930 census record. My grandfather one time was watching Johnnie on TV and told my unc there's your cousin! I was on my great grandpas Will when I was little only met him on one trip. My grandpas brother inherited most while rest didn't need his homes everybody spread out different states. My grandpa and Johnnie came out of same town.
Wasn't found out until after he passed in 2000 of a heart attack, the world found out that he was actually born 1934 not 1937. Was most likely named after John Harrison Taylor, his father's brother. No stories how Johnnie got his name but records show his paternal uncle has the same name. No death record on his father Willie. Disappeared after 1930 census and Johhnies social security app great pa only said a brother was lynched down in Arkansas and Johnnie our cousin. Didn't say a name what brother got lynched but shows Willie was the one by records. John Harrison Taylor died 1940 in the hospital sick for 24 days which shows on his death cert.

References

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10175/johnnie-harrison-taylor
• https://youtu.be/srp2uMw0BMg?si=d_FJ7TsL_d4JJ9f3
• https://youtu.be/uSC9DaGP0io?si=3NJ1Y-sTYwIK6F1F
• https://youtu.be/HJ70cVYHwzk?si=lpNWd-95xaUQBgN9
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Taylor-75148

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