A prolific composer of rhythm and blues who stayed on the road in his bus playing well over 125 one nighters a year throughout the 1940’s thriving and surviving until finally slowing down in the latter 50’s.
He first appeared on Decca's "race music" imprint in 1939, and he stayed with the label until 1953, then recording for Mercury until 1958, and his last album was on Roulette in 1958. When not on the road, or in the studio, he had a long standing gig at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City where his popular 17 member band held numerous box office records. Johnson's musical style was primarily swinging R&B directed towards black audiences, characterized by exhuberant, driving and danceable sounds, often aided by his little sister Ella on vocals or male singer Arthur Prysock who left for a solo career in 1952. His touring group at it's peak had 4 trumpets including Gil Askey, four trombones including Slide Hampton, five saxophones, string bass, guitar, drums and Johnson directing matters, often from the piano.
As brassy big band R&B sounds fell out of favor, Johnson fought the times and kept a steady road retinue up, particularly in the south, but his sound was perhaps too sophisticated to ever crossover to the modern teeny bop rock n roll crowd. In 1950, at his commercial apex, he told an interviewer of his apathy about the music he had to play to please crowds "Personally I like the classics, but i can't eat classics."
Johnson's band was known as the "Walk 'Em Rhythm" orchestra which desribed the relaxed pace that encouraged patrons to dance. His music was recorded by other artists as well including The Ink Spots, The Harptones, Lenny Welch, The Sonics, and Nina Simone.
Johnson's death after a painful battle with a cancerous brain tumor in 1977 triggered an acrimonius legal battle for control of publishing that was lost by his sister and son vs a new common law wife he lived with near the end of his life in Georgia. Buddy's impoverished sister Ella Johnson who had sung numerous hit Buddy Johnson records and toured with him for two decades, received scant royalties, and lived in public housing until her death in 2004.
from wikipedia:
Johnson took piano lessons as a child, and classical music remained one of his passions. In 1938 he moved to New York, and the following year toured Europe with the Cotton Club Revue, being expelled from Nazi Germany. Later in 1939 he first recorded for Decca Records with his band, soon afterwards being joined by his sister Ella as vocalist.
By 1941 he had assembled a nine-piece orchestra, and soon began a series of R&B and pop chart hits. These included "Let's Beat Out Some Love" (#2 R&B, 1943, with Johnson on vocals), "Baby Don't You Cry" (#3 R&B, 1943, with Warren Evans on vocals), his biggest hit "When My Man Comes Home" (#1 R&B, No. 18 pop, 1944, with Ella Johnson on vocals), and "They All Say I'm The Biggest Fool" (#5 R&B, 1946, with Arthur Prysock on vocals). Ella Johnson recorded her version of "Since I Fell for You" in 1945, but it did not become a major hit until recorded by Lenny Welch in the early 1960s.
In 1946 Johnson composed a Blues Concerto, which he performed at Carnegie Hall in 1948. His orchestra remained a major touring attraction through the late 1940s and early 1950s, and continued to record in the jump blues style with some success on record on the Mercury label like "Hittin' on Me" and "I'm Just Your Fool". Rock and roll eventually halted Johnson's momentum, but his band (tenor saxophonist Purvis Henson was a constant presence in the reed section) kept recording for Mercury through 1958, switched to Roulette the next year, and bowed out with a solitary session for Hy Weiss's Old Town label in 1964.
When My Man Comes Home
Buddy Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes, I'll be so glad when my man comes home.
Don't wanna start nothing till my man comes home.
Well started this walk, really started a mess.
Now they took my man because they wanted the best.
But I'll be so glad when my man comes home.
Don't wanna start nothing till my man comes home.
Now tell me what am I to do with so much time on my hands.
I'm so confused and Uncle Sams got my man.
And it's been so long since my man's been gone.
Don't wanna start nothing till my man comes home.
Now my man's ain't so handsome, he's nobody's dream.
But he's got that certain touch that really makes me scream.
I'll be so glad when my man comes home.
I don't wanna start nothing till my man comes home.
The lyrics of Buddy Johnson's song 'When My Man Comes Home' deal with the anticipation and longing a woman feels for her man to return home. The song begins with the declaration of the woman's eagerness for her man to come home, which is repeated in the chorus. She is excited at the thought of finally being reunited with him.
The verse goes on to explain why the woman's man has been away. He was taken away because they wanted the best, which implies that he may have been drafted or taken away to fulfill some sort of duty. The woman, however, is determined to wait until her man comes home and not start anything new without him.
The second verse highlights the difficulties faced by the woman after her man has left. She is left with a lot of time on her hands and is feeling confused because her man has been gone for so long. She also mentions that Uncle Sam, a colloquial term for the United States government, has her man. This could mean that she is waiting for him to return from the military service.
The last verse provides some insight into the woman's feelings towards her man. She admits that he is not handsome and nobody's dream but what he lacks in looks he makes up for with his touch that makes her 'scream'. The chorus is repeated one last time, emphasizing the woman's eagerness for her man to return home.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I'll be so glad when my man comes home
I am eagerly anticipating my man's return, and I will be overjoyed when he finally comes back to me.
Yes, I'll be so glad when my man comes home.
Without a doubt, I will be ecstatic when my man returns to me.
Don't wanna start nothing till my man comes home.
I do not want to initiate any conflict or trouble until my man is home and we can address it together.
Well started this walk, really started a mess.
In the past, I made some mistakes that led to a problematic situation.
Now they took my man because they wanted the best.
My man was taken away from me due to his exceptional abilities and talent.
But I'll be so glad when my man comes home.
Despite this setback, I look forward to my man's return and being reunited with him.
Don't wanna start nothing till my man comes home.
Until my man comes home, I am not interested in starting any conflicts or disagreements.
Now tell me what am I to do with so much time on my hands.
Without my man around, I have a surplus of free time and am unsure of how to use it.
I'm so confused and Uncle Sams got my man.
I am experiencing a great deal of confusion and Uncle Sam has taken my man away for some reason.
And it's been so long since my man's been gone.
It has been a considerable amount of time since my man has been away.
Don't wanna start nothing till my man comes home.
I am not interested in starting any trouble until my man returns and we can work things out together.
Now my man's ain't so handsome, he's nobody's dream.
My man is not particularly attractive, and he may not be everyone's ideal partner.
But he's got that certain touch that really makes me scream.
Despite his physical appearance, my man has a special quality that excites and arouses me.
I'll be so glad when my man comes home.
When my man finally returns to me, I will be incredibly happy and relieved.
I don't wanna start nothing till my man comes home.
Until my man is back by my side, I have no desire to involve myself in any conflict or trouble.
Writer(s): BUDDY JOHNSON, J. MAY WILLIAMS
Contributed by Brooklyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mrgoodvibes1995
The movie Life bought me here... why biscuit why!!!!!!
@queenmorgan5875
Same
@nstruebluey39
So this song is about her soldier being away (WWII) and she can't wait until he comes home. Sweet :) And I'll always remember this song as being played on Biscuit's Death Scene.
@leroymaxwellii2747
dedicated to Biscuit on the movie: Life
@American-Zero
Watching the movie Life now....poor Biscuit.
@2die4_93
I can't go to my mama like this.....
@seananiyunwiya4644
Aye where you goin biscuit?
@Muzikgirl67
Sending a Happy Birthday to Buddy Johnson, born on this day back in 1915 in Darlington, South Carolina...He may have passed back in 1977 from a brain tumor, but his musical memories live on...many thanks Paco for sharing this gem, and Happy New Year to you as well! Take Care, Elizabeth :-) P.S. That is Buddy's sister Ella, doing the lead vocals on this tune! :-)
@Samp759
God bless him for creating this song… theme of my life