Syleena Johnson & Syl Johnson [2024] - Black Balloon [SJ Entertainment]

An update/remake of Syl Johnson's "Black Balloons" on which he features posthumously with his daughter Syleena Johnson. 

Syl Johnson died two years ago on 6 Feb '22 so we would guess that this is a tribute.

It's a completely different arrangement to the 1969 original which featured on "Is It Because I'm Black".

Apart from three Christmas singles in 2022 and no fewer that four remixes of "Monsters In The Closet" last year, this is Ms Johnsons first release since her last album "The Making Of A Woman" in Apr '21. originally released just before Covid hit in Jan '20, so was reissued as a deluxe version as she was unable to promote it during Covid.

We understand that a new album, "Legacy'', is scheduled for later this year.

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Details

Rating:	8
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	New Soul / Cover Version
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	SJ Entertainment / Self Released
Cat No:	None
Date:	09/02/2024
Key/BPM:	7B/94
Price:	£1

Copyright © 2009-2024 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Syl Johnson [2023] - Is It Because I'm Black b/w Let Them Hang High [Numero Group]

A song that has featured her on various occasions by different artists (e.g Ken Boothe, Nicky Thomas as well as Syl Johnson), "Is It Because I'm Black", has been digitally reissued (again) today by Numero Group along with the original B side of the Syl Johnson 1969 Twinight release "Let Then Hang High".

We would guess that they have utilised the image from the 1970 Spanish picture sleeve release.

Numero Group also reissued it in 2021 with "Different Strokes".

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Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Classic Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Numero Group
Cat No:	None
Date:	24/07/2023
Key/BPM:	1A/67
Price:	£1.79

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

R.I.P. Syl Johnson (1 Jul 1936 - 6 Feb 2022)

Good Lord, yet another sad loss this year to the world of soul music. Syl Johnson aka Sylvester Thompson died yesterday aged 85. The news was passed to me by Gary Van Den Bussche who played his "Is It Because I'm Black" only last week on his radio show.

He was born in Mississippi and moved to Chicago in the 50s where he began singing the blues with Magic Sam and released his first solo single in 1959.

His first charting single came in 1967 with "Come Sock It To Me" followed by the much sampled  "Different Strokes" (reissued only last year by Numero Group and posted HERE).

He had seven R&B chart entries on Twilight (later renamed Twinight) before joining Willie Mitchell's Hi label in 1972 and continued with another ten R&B hits and recorded four albums for Hi as well as two on Twilight.

However, before signing to Chicago's Twilight label, he had recorded around ten singles between 1959-1967 including one that has been played on Northern Soul dancefloors for many, many years "Do You Know What Love Is" in 1966 which is one of only four listed singles on Monk Higgins' Special Agent label. It was released twice as the first two releases on the label with different B sides.

His biggest chart success came in 1975 with the first cover of Al Green's "Take Me To The River" reaching #48 Hot 100 and #12 R&B which also had a great ballad "Could I Be Falling In Love" on the flip.

In the 80s he released a few albums on his own Shama label with the title track of the second "Ms Fine Brown Frame" being his last hit in 1982 and then went into semi-retirement but made a comeback in the 90s after learning that "Different Strokes" had been sampled my many hip-hop artists.

There is an excellent 6 x LP or 4 x CD compilation from Numero Group from 2010 "The Complete Mythology". A 2015 documentary, Sly Johnson: Any Way The Wind Blows, has been made available online for the first time today on Vimeo.

It also transpires that his older brother, blues singer/guitarist Jimmy Johnson, died on 31 Jan 2022 aged 93. They recorded an album together in 2001 "Two Johnsons Are Better Than One". Deepest sympathies to the Johnson (Thompson) family at this very sad time.

As a tribute I've selected some of his best recordings from 60s-80s in playlist below and included a YouTube clip of his version of Nate Evans (Impressions) "Main Squeeze", a non-album track  which isn't on Spotify.

Syl Johnson [2021] - Different Strokes / Is It Because I'm Black [Numero Group #ES-073]

Numero Group has digitally reissued two tracks from Chicago's Syl Johnson today (18 Oct 2021), they have already been released on vinyl. 

"Different Strokes", along with The Winston's "Amen' is on of the most sampled records in the history of hip-hop which is perhaps why it has been reissued? It was originally released on Twilight label in 1967. The flip  is "Is It Because I'm Black", which was posted in May last year along with Ken Boothe's version as it has been getting spins at Sunday soul sessions, was also released on Twinight in 1969 after the label was forced to change it's name from Twilight.

It was also recorded by several other reggae artists. I found a live clip of Nick Thomas performing it live in the 70s, although I'm not sure that he ever actually recorded it?

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Details

Rating:	8
Genre/Style:	Soul Funk / Deep soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Numero Group
Cat No:	ES-073
Date:	18/10/2021
Key/BPM:	10B/108 / 1A/67
Value:	£1.79

Ken Boothe [1972] - Is It Because I'm Black [Splash (JA) ]

One that has been getting spins at Sunday Soul Sessions is a great two-step/reggae version of Syl Johnson's Is It Because I'm Black which adds another dimension to the original deep soul cut.

It got a US release on Splash and came out a couple of times in UK on legendary reggae label Trojan in 1973 and as a b Side to Who Gets Your Love in 1979.  It is also on UK only 'Let's Get It On' album from 1974 on Trojan.

Syl Johnson [1968] - Is It Because I'm Black [Twinight 125]

The original deep soul version from 1968.

Ken Boothe [1974] - That's The Way Nature Planned It [Trojan TR.7910]

Another Ken Boothe track worth checking out is his version of The Four Tops - That's The Way Nature Planned It which is also on UK only Let's Get It On album from 1974.