Formed:
Genres:
Principal Members:
- General Johnson (b. Norman Johnson, May 23, 1943, Norfolk, VA): vocals
- Harrison Kennedy (b. March 17, 1946, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada): vocals
- Danny Woods (b. April 10, 1944, Atlanta, GA): vocals
- Eddie Custis (b. 1938, Philadelphia, PA): vocals
Contributions to music:
- Kings of the Carolina "beach music" scene who define the soul subgenre known as "shag"
- Allowed the Motown songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland to break away from the label and establish their own
- Singer/songwriter "General" Johnson is one of the leading lights of sweet soul, and also a major force in early-70s R&B
- A major force in bridging the raw "Southern" soul of the Sixties with the funkier, poppier Seventies era
- Johnson also created one of the great rock and roll anthems in the early Sixties with "It Will Stand," as well as crafting Clarence Carter's 1970 smash "Patches"
Early years:
Success:
Later years:
Other facts:
- Johnson was discovered after his group, The Humdingers, opened for Chuck Willis and the manager of the Cookies, who were serving as backup, recommended him to Atlantic
- Dick Clark once called "It Will Stand," by the Showmen, "the anthem of rock and roll"
- The Showmen's "39-21-46" was originally written and performed as "39-21-40 Shape," but the label pressing plant made an error that stuck
- The Chairmen were choreographed by the same man who'd taught Gladys Knight's Pips
- "Patches" was originally supposed to be the follow-up to "Give Me Just A Little More Time," but was edged out by "Dangling On A String"
Awards/Honors:
- General Johnson:
- GRAMMY Award (1971)
- BMI Songwriter of the Year Award (1972)
Recorded work:
Pop:
"Give Me Just A Little More Time" (1970)
R&B:
"Give Me Just A Little More Time" (1970)
"Pay To The Piper" (1970)
"Chairman Of The Board" (1971)
"Finders Keepers" (1973)
Other important recordings: "{You've Got Me) Dangling on a String," "Everything's Tuesday," "Since The Days Of Pigtails (And Fairy Tales)," "Hanging On (To) A Memory," "Men Are Getting Scarce," "Try On My Love For Size," "Patches," "I'll Come Crawling," "Bless You," "When Will She Tell Me She Needs Me," "Tricked And Trapped," "Working On A Building Of Love," "Bravo, Hooray," "Elmo James," "Bittersweet," "I'm On My Way To A Better Place," "So Glad You're Mine," "Morning Glory," "Lover Boy"
Wrote or co-wrote: "It Will Stand," The Showmen; "Patches," Clarence Carter; "Bring The Boys Home," Freda Payne; "Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed," 100 Proof (Aged In Soul); "Want Ads," "Stick Up," "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show," The Honey Cone
Covered by: Clarence Carter, Angela Clemmons, Ron Dante, Bill Deal, The Lost Generation, Kylie Minogue, Joe Stubbs, Alabama, Archie Bell and the Drells, George Jones, Bruce Cockburn, Jerry Reed, The Rudies
