Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Harrison Taylor (born May 5, 1937, Crawfordsville, Arkansas; died May 31, 2000, Dallas, Texas) was an American musician that sang in a wide variety of genres, including blues, disco, gospel, pop, and soul. Often using an energetic, belting delivery, he's perhaps best known for his work for the iconic Stax/Volt label, particularly with southern soul classics such as "Who's Making Love" and "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone" in which he held his own against friendly rivals such as Otis Redding and Sam & Dave. Read Full BioJohnnie Harrison Taylor (born May 5, 1937, Crawfordsville, Arkansas; died May 31, 2000, Dallas, Texas) was an American musician that sang in a wide variety of genres, including blues, disco, gospel, pop, and soul. Often using an energetic, belting delivery, he's perhaps best known for his work for the iconic Stax/Volt label, particularly with southern soul classics such as "Who's Making Love" and "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone" in which he held his own against friendly rivals such as Otis Redding and Sam & Dave.
Growing up amidst music, Taylor had one release, "Somewhere to Lay My Head", on Chicago's Chance Records in the 50s as part of a doo-wop group called Five Echoes. Taylor was also part of the gospel group, The Highway QC's also, replacing r&b artist Sam Cooke that had left to become the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers in 1951. Then, after Cooke left the Soul Stirrers in 1957, Taylor was hired to take Cooke's place as lead singer.
A few years later, after Cooke had established his independent SAR Records, Taylor signed on and recorded "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" in 1962. However, SAR Records quickly became defunct after Cooke's tradic early death in 1964.
In 1966, Taylor moved to Stax Records in Memphis, where he was dubbed "The Philosopher of Soul". While there he recorded with the label's house band, Booker T. & the MGs. His hits included "I Had a Dream", "I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (both written by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter) and most notably "Who's Making Love?", which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Top 40 and No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1968. During his tenure at Stax, he became an R&B star, with over a dozen chart successes, such as "Cheaper to Keep Her" (Mack Rice) and producer Don Davis's "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)".
After Stax folded in the mid 1970s, Taylor switched to Columbia Records, where he made his best-known hit, "Disco Lady", in 1976. "Disco Lady" was the first certified platinum single. Columbia pigeonholed Taylor as a disco artist, however, and neglected his wide-ranging talent. Not surprisingly, his record sales slipped.
After a brief stint at Beverly Glen Records, Taylor signed with Malaco Records after the label's founder Tommy Couch and producing partner Wolf Stephenson heard him sing at blues singer Z.Z. Hill's funeral in the spring of 1984. Backed by members of The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section as well as in-house veterans like former Stax keyboardist Carson Whitsett, Malaco gave Taylor the type of recording freedom that Stax had given him in the late 1960s and early 1970s, enabling him to record ten albums for the Malaco label in his sixteen year stint. Taylor's record sales were good but not enough for the singer to receive the measure of stardom he once had.
In 1996, Taylor's eighth album for Malaco, Good Love!, made it to Number One on Billboard's Blues chart (#15 R&B), the biggest record in Malaco's history.
Malaco recorded a live video of Taylor at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas in the summer of 1997.
Johnnie Taylor's 1999 album, "Gotta Get the Groove Back", also reached the # 1 Position on the Billboard Blues Charts. This album which featured veteran songwriter, Lamar Thmas (Woman don't be Afraid) was also a Grammy Nominated album during the same year that Johnnie passed.
Taylor was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999. He died in Dallas at the age of 63.
In what would turn out to be a sad foreshadowing, Taylor's final song was "Soul Heaven", in which he dreamed of being at a concert featuring deceased Soul music icons Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and MGs drummer Al Jackson, among others. In one verse, Taylor sang, "I didn't want to wake up/I was havin' such a good time".
Growing up amidst music, Taylor had one release, "Somewhere to Lay My Head", on Chicago's Chance Records in the 50s as part of a doo-wop group called Five Echoes. Taylor was also part of the gospel group, The Highway QC's also, replacing r&b artist Sam Cooke that had left to become the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers in 1951. Then, after Cooke left the Soul Stirrers in 1957, Taylor was hired to take Cooke's place as lead singer.
A few years later, after Cooke had established his independent SAR Records, Taylor signed on and recorded "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" in 1962. However, SAR Records quickly became defunct after Cooke's tradic early death in 1964.
In 1966, Taylor moved to Stax Records in Memphis, where he was dubbed "The Philosopher of Soul". While there he recorded with the label's house band, Booker T. & the MGs. His hits included "I Had a Dream", "I've Got to Love Somebody's Baby" (both written by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter) and most notably "Who's Making Love?", which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Top 40 and No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1968. During his tenure at Stax, he became an R&B star, with over a dozen chart successes, such as "Cheaper to Keep Her" (Mack Rice) and producer Don Davis's "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)".
After Stax folded in the mid 1970s, Taylor switched to Columbia Records, where he made his best-known hit, "Disco Lady", in 1976. "Disco Lady" was the first certified platinum single. Columbia pigeonholed Taylor as a disco artist, however, and neglected his wide-ranging talent. Not surprisingly, his record sales slipped.
After a brief stint at Beverly Glen Records, Taylor signed with Malaco Records after the label's founder Tommy Couch and producing partner Wolf Stephenson heard him sing at blues singer Z.Z. Hill's funeral in the spring of 1984. Backed by members of The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section as well as in-house veterans like former Stax keyboardist Carson Whitsett, Malaco gave Taylor the type of recording freedom that Stax had given him in the late 1960s and early 1970s, enabling him to record ten albums for the Malaco label in his sixteen year stint. Taylor's record sales were good but not enough for the singer to receive the measure of stardom he once had.
In 1996, Taylor's eighth album for Malaco, Good Love!, made it to Number One on Billboard's Blues chart (#15 R&B), the biggest record in Malaco's history.
Malaco recorded a live video of Taylor at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas in the summer of 1997.
Johnnie Taylor's 1999 album, "Gotta Get the Groove Back", also reached the # 1 Position on the Billboard Blues Charts. This album which featured veteran songwriter, Lamar Thmas (Woman don't be Afraid) was also a Grammy Nominated album during the same year that Johnnie passed.
Taylor was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999. He died in Dallas at the age of 63.
In what would turn out to be a sad foreshadowing, Taylor's final song was "Soul Heaven", in which he dreamed of being at a concert featuring deceased Soul music icons Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, and MGs drummer Al Jackson, among others. In one verse, Taylor sang, "I didn't want to wake up/I was havin' such a good time".
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Who's Making Love
Johnnie Taylor Lyrics
All you fellows, gather 'round me
And let me give you some good advice
What I'm gonna, I'm gonna ask you now
You better think about it twice
While you're liking cheating on your woman
There is something you never even thought of
Now tell me who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love? (Hear me now)
Now who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?
I've seen so, so many fellows
Fall in that same old bag
Thinking that a woman is made to
To be beat on and treated so bad
Oh, fellows, let me ask you something
I'm sure that you never even dreamed of
Now tell me who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love? (Oh)
Now who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?
I know there are some women gives the other excuse
I'm not tryin' to run your life, boy it's up to you
Oh you, oh you, you and you, and you
The reason why I ask this question
I used to be the same old way
When I decided to straighten up
I found it was a bit too late
Oh yeah, that's when it all happened
Something I never, never dreamed of
Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
While I was out making love
Somebody was-a lovin' my old lady
While I was out making love (listen now)
Now who's making love to your old lady
While you were out making love?
(Who? Who? Your old lady)
(While you were out making love)
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bettye Jean Barnes Crutcher, Donald Davis, Homer Banks, Raymond E. Jackson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
Frost Boss Jones
My grandfather was Mr Taylor's bodyguard... His music played in my household daily... Now my kids hear it! Wonderful music
Flickerman68
You youngins don't know nothing bout this!
Zachary Sheets
21 years young and rockin out to Johnnie!
just diane
@Lena Stripp you are so right! I didn't care so much for the music my parents played, but I can appreciate it now. My dad in particular had lots to say about the great acts he was privileged to have seen; an added perk to bring an usher at the Chicago Theater. We have to give music to the new generations. No matter how crazy this world gets, we gotta have good music to pull us up from the muck, even just for a little while πππΆ
Flickerman68
@Michelangelo Lopez you ain't lying. Cool. Sounds like you got it. You do you.
Michelangelo Lopez
@Flickerman68 bruh I listen to kiss, motley crue, misfits, slipknot, GNR, Nirvana, ozzie Osborn, and steel panther and bands like that, those are not age appropriate π€£π€£π€£
Flickerman68
@Michelangelo Lopez Absolutely. As long as it's age appropriate.
Phayzyre105
The bass guitar in this song is awesome!
mary howell
The bass that is!
mary howell
Sure is I can play not that good!