Johnny Bristol - A Profile

Johnny Bristol (John William Bristol) was born in Morganton, NC, on 3 Feb 1939 and died on 21 Mar 2004 aged 65 and would have been 73 today. He will be best remembered in the mainstream for his first, and biggest, hit "Hang On In There Baby" which reached #2 R&B and #8 Hot 100. It was his only solo hit in the UK which went to #3, although he had another Top 40 hit on a duet with Amii Stewart with a cover of The Temptations "My Girl/My Guy" in 1980 (#39).

Coincidentally, when he was riding high in the charts with "Hang On In There Baby", another song he wrote (which was on the album of the same name) was "Love Me For A Reason" which was on the charts simultaneously by The Osmonds and was a #1 pop hit in the UK in Aug/Sep 1974.

However, prior to launching his recording career as a solo artist he spent thirteen years at Motown as a writer between 1959-72. His first recording effort was part of a duo with Jackey Beaver (who he had met in the Air Force) and recorded six singles together between 1959-62. The first two on Berry Gordy's sisters' label Anna (run by Anna & Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis) and the remaining four on Harvey Fuqua and wife Gwen Gordy's Tri-Phi label. One of the Tri-Phi singles was the original version of "Someday We'll Be Together" a later hit in 1969 for Diana Ross & The Supremes.

Tri-Phi and Anna were absorbed by Motown and Bristol teamed up with Fuqua working as writers and producers. We could easily fill a playlist with songs he wrote for Motown artists, songs such as ""Two Can Have A Party", "25 Miles", "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)", "These Things Will Keep Me Loving You", "Tell Me It's Just A Rumour Baby", "No One There", "Come On And See Me", "I'm Someone Who Cares", "The Onion Song", "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday", "Walk In The Night", "Take Me Girl, I'm Ready", "Gotta Hold On To This Feeling", "Way Back Home", "Someday We'll Be Together", "Do You Love Me Just A Little, Honey".

Motown and Bristol parted company in 1973 when Bristol joined CBS as a producer. He worked with an up and coming Randy Crawford as well as Tom Jones, Johnny Mathis, Jerry Butler, Marlena Shaw, Boz Scaggs, Buddy Miles. One of his first post Motown hits was "La La Peace Song" recorded first by O.C. Smith in May 1973 (#27 R&B / #62 Hot 100)  followed by Al Wilson in Sep 1974 (#19 R&B / #30 Hot 100).

After a year where he didn't think Columbia were showing much interest in signing him on a recording contract he left for MGM where he released two albums "Hang On In There Baby" (1974) and "Feeling The Magic" (1976) and had four R&B charting singles "Hang On In There Baby" (#2), "You and I" (#20), "Leave My World" (#23) and "Love Takes Tears" (#72) (also later recorded by Margie Joseph and The Real Thing).

He was off again, this time to Atlantic where he released another two albums "Bristol's Creme" (1976) and "Strangers" (1978). The title track, "Strangers In Dark Corners", is a modern soul favourite and had been recorded earlier in 1973 by Tavares on their "Check It Out" album and also by Johnny Mathis on "The Heart Of A Woman" (1974).

He maintained some production work with Columbia and other artists writing and producing for The Jackson Sisters on their eponymous album in 1976, Margie Joseph "Feeling My Way", Tom Jones "Memories Don't Leave Like People Do", Gladys Knight And The Pips "A Little Knight Music".

In 1979 he re-recorded "Hang On In There Baby" with Alton McClain (of Alton McClain & Destiny) as Alton & Johnny on Polydor which got to #73 R&B. He would later re-record it again with Liz Lands.

By the 80s Bristol's main appeal was from Europe where he signed to Handshake Records and had his second biggest hit as an artist with Amii Stewart with a cover of The Temptations "My Girl" titled "My Girl/My Guy" with male and female parts. He had an underground hit with "Love No Longer Has A Hold On Me" and just one more single followed "Take Me Down", both included on an album "Free To Be Me" in 1981. His only other album "Come To Me" was released by Bushka in 1994 which appears to be a re-titled reissue of a Japanese (P-Vine) album "Life & Love". The standout track is a duet with his daughter Shanna on a cover of EWF's "That's The Way Of The World" and "Come To Me" has a bit of a 90s bounce.

In 1989 he hooked up with Ian Levine and wrote and produced for his Motorcity label releasing two singles, a cover of Barrett Strong's "Man Up In The Sky" and an original song co-written with Levine and Timothy King, "Keep This Thought In Mind" which is quite underrated having just listened to it again. Levine states that he recorded ten songs with Bristol but wrote another 50+, however these tend to feature on his compilation albums and weren't released as singles. Songs like his own version of "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)" and a duet of "Someday We'll Be Together" and "Hang On In There Baby" with the overlooked, and perhaps underrated, Liz Lands, "Look Into The Eyes Of A Fool" (not the same song as recorded by Darrell Banks in 1967), "Don't Keep Your Distance" and "No More Heartaches". I could only find eight of Mr. Levine's claimed ten.

Album Discography

1974 - Hang On in There Baby [MGM]

1975 - Feeling the Magic [MGM]

1976 - Bristol's Creme [Atlantic]

1978 - Strangers [Atlantic]

1981 - Free to Be Me [Handshake]

1993 - Life & Love [P-Vine] (retitled Come to Me for US Bushka release)

The playlist is a little restricted as it is limited to his first two MGM albums and later recordings with Ian Levine as the other three albums are not available on Spotify. His original version of "Someday We'll Be Together" with Jackey Beavers has been tagged onto the end out of interest.

Had they been available the following tracks may have been included. A couple have been included from YouTube (bold) but there are too many to include them all but you may be able to find them on YouTube if you wish to check them out.

Bristol's Creme: "I Sho Like Groovin' With Ya" , "Baby's So Much Fun".

Strangers: "Strangers In The Dark Corners", "I'm Waiting On Love", "If You Ever Need Somebody".

Come To Me: "That's The Way Of The World", "Come To Me", "He's Waiting For You", "Number One Distraction", "Life & Love".

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