{"title":"Syl Johnson Vinyl Records","description":"\u003cp\u003eb. 1st July 1936, Holly Springs, Mississippi, U.S.A.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican funk\/soul\/blues singer and music producer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf in the 1950s, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee Jay Records in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal Records, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe then began recording for Twinight Records of Chicago in the mid 1960s. Beginning with his first hit, Come On Sock It to Me in 1967, Johnson dominated the label as both a hitmaker and producer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike other black songwriters of the period, several of his records at this time explored themes of African-American identity and social problems in songs including Is It Because I’m Black, which reached Number 11 in the R\u0026amp;B charts in 1969.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1971, Willie Mitchell brought Johnson to Hi Records, for whom he recorded three albums and a number of singles. Produced in Memphis with the Hi house band, these yielded music of power and enduring value, including the hits We Did It, Back for a Taste of Your Love and Take Me to the River, his biggest success, reaching Number 7 on the R\u0026amp;B charts in 1975. However, at Hi Johnson was always to some extent in Al Green’s shadow commercially, if not artistically.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the Hi years ended, Johnson produced two LPs for his own label Shama, the latter of which (Ms. Fine Brown Frame, 1982) was picked up for distribution by Boardwalk Records, Inc. and produced Johnson’s last hit record, the title cut.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAround the mid-eighies, Johnson started a fast-food fish restaurant business, and became semi-retired from performing, only making occasional appearances at blues club gigs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1992, Johnson found out that his classic song Different Strokes have been sampled by number of rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, MC Hammer, and Geto Boys. Stimulated by this fact, he decided to make a come back in the music business. In 1994, he released the album Back in the Game on Delmark Records. The album featured the the Hi rhythm section and his youngest daughter Syleena Johnson.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson, and bassist Mack Thompson are his brothers.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"syl-johnson-let-yourself-go-please-dont-give-up-on-me-305802","title":"Syl Johnson – Let Yourself Go \/ Please Don't Give Up On Me (E\/Generic) – 7\", US 1974","description":"\n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition: \u003c\/strong\u003e Second Hand\u003c\/div\u003e\n  \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShips from: \u003c\/strong\u003e Melbourne\u003c\/div\u003e\n  \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMedia: \u003c\/strong\u003e Excellent (E)\u003c\/div\u003e\n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCover: \u003c\/strong\u003e Generic\u003c\/div\u003e\n  \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComments: \u003c\/strong\u003e Nice copy. In original label sleeve.\u003c\/div\u003e\n  \n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n  \u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eRelease details\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eTracklist\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Description tab content --\u003e\n  \u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003eLet Yourself Go \/ Please Don't Give Up On Me is a 7\" by Syl Johnson from 1974 released on the Hi Records label.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \n\n    \u003c!-- Genres --\u003e\n    \n      \u003cp\u003eGenre: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/funk-soul-music-vinyl-records\"\u003eSoul \u0026amp; Funk\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \n\n    \n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Release tab content --\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n    \u003cdiv\u003e\n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArtist: \u003c\/strong\u003e Syl Johnson\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLabel: \u003c\/strong\u003e Hi Records – HI 2269\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n          \n          \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFormat: \u003c\/strong\u003e 7\", 45 RPM, Single, Promo, Styrene\u003c\/div\u003e\n          \n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnits: \u003c\/strong\u003e 1\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCountry: \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/vinyl-records-store-australia\/country_us\"\u003eUS\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReleased: \u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all\/year_1974\"\u003e1974\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGenre: \u003c\/strong\u003e\n          \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/funk-soul-music-vinyl-records\"\u003eSoul \u0026amp; Funk\u003c\/a\u003e\n        \u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStyle: \u003c\/strong\u003e\n          \n            \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/soul\"\u003eSoul\u003c\/a\u003e\n          \n        \u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Tracklist tab content --\u003e\n  \n  \u003cli\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003eA Let Yourself Go\u003cbr\u003eB Please Don't Give Up On Me\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n  \n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n","brand":"Hi Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42116636868673,"sku":"3353743","price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1474\/5258\/files\/NC05MjY2LmpwZWc.jpg?v=1783530466"},{"product_id":"syl-johnson-is-it-because-im-black-123705","title":"Syl Johnson – Is It Because I’m Black","description":"\n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition: \u003c\/strong\u003e Brand New\u003c\/div\u003e\n  \n  \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShips from: \u003c\/strong\u003e Melbourne\u003c\/div\u003e\n  \n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n  \u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eRelease details\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Description tab content --\u003e\n  \u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n    \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssued in April 1970 – a full 13 months before Marvin Gaye's What's Going On – Is It Because I'm Black can rightly be called the first black concept album, a distinction few give it credit for. But that factoid, whatever its meaning then or now, failed to inspire music buyers: Johnson's record never got a whiff of the two million copies Gaye's did in its first year of availability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSyl lays the blame squarely on the record's lack of marketability to a white audience: \"That was a college record. Black college kids. They're political. But these kind of records tend to hurt you a bit. You've got white people, and then you've got white liberals. But you've got white people who care nothing about you talking about being black. They say ‘Why shouldn't I sing \"Is It Because I'm White\"?' They just don't care for it. Not that they hate it, but they're not going to pay five or six dollars to buy an album of it.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album's cover didn't exactly move units either. Photographer Jerry Griffith dragged Syl to a burned-out building on 43rd Street to shoot the back cover image, and he finger-painted the iconic title over a stock photo of an eroding brick wall. The title track, coupled with the politically charged \"I'm Talking About Freedom\" and ghetto conscious \"Concrete Reservation\" sealed the album's cool reception as the work of an \"angry black man.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhich is unfortunate, as \"Together Forever,\" \"Come Together,\" and \"Black Balloons\" are positively uplifting, forming their own pot of gold at the end of a grayscale rainbow. The album's closer burns the brightest. \"Right On\" devolves into a full-on party track, ending with Syl riffing on the line \"I'm gonna keep on doing my thing,\" as if to answer his critics before their needles reached the run-out groove.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \n\n    \n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Release tab content --\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n    \u003cdiv\u003e\n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArtist: \u003c\/strong\u003e Syl Johnson\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLabel: \u003c\/strong\u003e Numero Group\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n          \n          \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFormat: \u003c\/strong\u003e LP\u003c\/div\u003e\n          \n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnits: \u003c\/strong\u003e 1\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCountry: \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/vinyl-records-store-australia\/country_us\"\u003eUS\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGenre: \u003c\/strong\u003e\n          \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/funk-soul-music-vinyl-records\"\u003eSoul \u0026amp; Funk\u003c\/a\u003e\n        \u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStyle: \u003c\/strong\u003e\n          \n            \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/soul\"\u003eSoul\u003c\/a\u003e\n          \n        \u003c\/div\u003e\n        \n        \n    \u003c\/div\u003e\n  \u003c\/li\u003e\n\n  \u003c!-- Tracklist tab content --\u003e\n  \n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n","brand":"Numero Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43591236452417,"sku":"4566553","price":55.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1474\/5258\/files\/ac0349fa681d25152c4618a498379587.jpg?v=1771830608"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.dutchvinyl.com.au\/collections\/syl-johnson-vinyl-records.oembed","provider":"Dutch Vinyl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}