General Norman Johnson (23 May 1943, Norfolk, VA – 13 Oct 2010, Atlanta, GA), had a hit as the lead singer of The Showmen, in the early '60s, with the New Orleans rock'n'roll anthem It Will Stand.
When Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown, in 1967, to establish their own Invictus/Hot Wax group of labels, they teamed-up Johnson with Eddie Custis, Danny Woods &, Canadian born, Harrison Kennedy - as the new company's flagship act - under the appropriate name 'Chairmen of the Board'. Dozier explained, according to Songfacts: "We called them that because of their extraordinary talents. They each played several instruments, sang and wrote songs as well." Custis left the group after their second album.
Though they all had a turn at lead vocals, it was General Johnson's quirky hiccup-laden style and his songwriting which became increasingly showcased, wit hthe group selling a million plus copies of "Give Me Just A Little More Time". Chairmen of the Board also scored with "You've Got Me Dangling On A String", "Pay To the Piper", "Everything's Tuesday", "Working On A Building Of Love", "Elmo James", "Finders Keepers", and the original version of "Patches", a memorable ballad later covered with great success by Clarence Carter.
Kennedy, Woods and Johnson all went on to cut solo albums of varying quality, whilst Johnson wrote and produced (with Greg Perry) for other Invictus/Hot Wax acts, notably Honey Cone. Harrison having left, Johnson and Woods toured the UK in 1976 with six musicians as "Chairmen of the Board", but were not as successful as before. The act was broken up immediately afterwards, Johnson having signed for Arista Records as a solo artist.
In 1978, Johnson reformed the Chairmen of the Board. In 1980, the new Chairmen founded Surfside Records, for which the group records for to this day.
The Chairmen of the Board (General Johnson, Danny Woods and Ken Knox) were inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
General Johnson continued to perform with Woods and Knox as the "Chairmen of the Board" until his death from lung cancer in 2010.
In 2012, Chairmen of the Board released a single, "You", which was written and produced by Knox.
In 2013, former member Harrison Kennedy was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the "Acoustic Artist" category.
Danny Woods died in January 2018.
Bless You
Chairmen Of The Board Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darling bless you
Bless you
Darling bless you
Heaven only knows how much I love you!
Ooh I love you better than I love myself
And I'd wish nothing on earth above you
With love and understanding (built my world around you)
You made my life worth living (since the day I found you)
You give me the faith and pride in myself
The will and the strength to better myself
Our little baby boy
My pride and my joy
Dreams that came true
I owe them all to you
Bless you
Darling bless you
Bless you
Darling bless you
Heaven only knows how much I need you!
Ooh my darling I love you one million times
Just to kiss your lips after working all day dear
How it warms my heart and fills my mind!
I built my world around you (built my world around you)
Bless the day I found you (since the day I found you)
I wish there could be behind every man
A woman like you to help him stand
Without you my world would shatter in two
My life begins and ends with you
Bless you
Darling bless you
Bless you
Darling bless you
What once was a world filled with regret
You made a paradise full of happiness
All the good that you done for me I'll never forget
Bless you bless you bless you bless you!
Bless you
Darling bless you
Bless you
Darling bless you
(Bless you)
The lyrics of Chairmen Of The Board's song "Bless You" express a deeply affectionate sentiment towards the subject of the song, with the phrase "Bless you, darling bless you" being repeated throughout. The singer explains that they love the subject more than they love themselves and wishes for nothing above them. The singer also acknowledges the importance of a woman's love to a man. The singer goes on to express gratitude towards the subject for making life worth living, giving them faith and pride, as well as the will and strength to better themselves. They also express that their pride and joy, their little baby boy, is thanks to the subject of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Bless you
Expressing a prayer or wish for one's happiness or welfare.
Darling bless you
Expressing affection and endearment for one's beloved.
Bless you
Expressing a prayer or wish for one's happiness or welfare.
Darling bless you
Expressing affection and endearment for one's beloved.
Heaven only knows how much I love you!
My love for you is immeasurable.
Ooh I love you better than I love myself
My love for you exceeds the love I have for myself.
And I'd wish nothing on earth above you
You are the most important thing in my life.
A woman's love is a man's greatest wealth
The love and support of a good woman is invaluable.
With love and understanding (built my world around you)
Our relationship is built on love and mutual understanding.
You made my life worth living (since the day I found you)
My life has become meaningful since I met you.
You give me the faith and pride in myself
Your love has given me confidence and self-worth.
The will and the strength to better myself
Your love has motivated me to improve myself.
Our little baby boy
Our son, whom we both love deeply.
My pride and my joy
He brings us great happiness and a sense of pride.
Dreams that came true
Our life together has fulfilled our dreams.
I owe them all to you
You have been instrumental in making our dreams come true.
Heaven only knows how much I need you!
Without you, my life would be incomplete.
Ooh my darling I love you one million times
My love for you is infinite and immeasurable.
Just to kiss your lips after working all day dear
The thought of being with you after a long day's work brings me joy and comfort.
How it warms my heart and fills my mind!
Being with you and feeling your love brings me happiness and peace of mind.
I wish there could be behind every man
I wish every man could have a partner like you.
A woman like you to help him stand
A woman like you can provide the love and support that a man needs to succeed in life.
Without you my world would shatter in two
My life is incomplete without you.
My life begins and ends with you
You are my everything and my reason for being.
What once was a world filled with regret
My life was once filled with sorrow and regret.
You made a paradise full of happiness
You have turned my life into a happy and wonderful place.
All the good that you done for me I'll never forget
I will always be grateful for the love and kindness you have shown me.
Bless you bless you bless you bless you!
Expressing gratitude and appreciation for all that you do.
(Bless you)
Expressing a continued prayer or wish for one's happiness or welfare.
Contributed by London S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ianhalliwell8604
What a voice , just love their songs. He puts so much emotion into every song, quality.
@stuartbrixton6260
Love this track... What a b side! Sounds very much like heaven must have sent you
@susanjones7254
I love this song ❤️
@stuseth
Love this can't stop playing this track reminds me of my baby grandson bless chairman of the board amazing x
@grahamcampbell2883
Played this song just as much as the A side in 1970 lot's of good memories back then
@cilla-themusiclover
This reminds me of my dad. We would listen to the radio together back in the day when AM radio you could hear all music all day and night.
@susanjones7254
Love love love this song
@williammoran4014
I love this song I have it on 45 flip side is give me just a little more time, these guys were great
@juleerowley9706
What else can you say ??
Class...just 100% class...
@A-D-S-P
My best years after living his magnificent 70s with all his magnificent music I could die quiet now everything is shit