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Michael Johnson
Johnson in 2002
Background information
Birth name	Michael Jay Johnson
Born	(1944-08-08)August 8, 1944 Alamosa, Colorado, U.S.
Died	July 25, 2017(2017-07-25) (aged 72) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	Folk, folk rock, country, soft rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, record producer, actor, writer
Instrument(s)	Vocals, classical guitar, acoustic guitar, piano
Years active	1957–2017
Labels	Atco, Sanskrit Records, EMI, RCA, Vanguard, Atlantic, Intersound, American Originals, Red House
Website	www.mjblue.com

Michael Jay Johnson (August 8, 1944 – July 25, 2017) was an American pop, country, and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best remembered for his 1978 hit song "Bluer Than Blue". He charted four hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and nine more on Hot Country Songs, including two number one country hits in 1986's "Give Me Wings" and "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder". He also co-wrote "Cain's Blood", the debut single of 1990s country group 4 Runner.

Career

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Johnson was born in the small town of Alamosa, Colorado and grew up in Denver. He started playing the guitar at 13. In 1963, he began attending Colorado State College (now the University of Northern Colorado) in Greeley to study music but his college career was truncated when he won an international talent contest two years later. First prize included a deal with Epic Records.

Wishing to hone his instrumental skills, in 1966 he set off for Barcelona, Spain, to the Liceu Conservatory, studying with the eminent classical guitarists, Graciano Tarragó and Renata Tarragó. Upon his return to the States, he joined Randy Sparks in a group called the New Society and did a tour of the Orient.

When the band dissolved in 1967, he signed on with the Chad Mitchell Trio for a year, spending some of that time co-writing with another member, John Denver. The group was renamed Denver, Boise & Johnson. When the trio came to an end, Johnson made a radical departure from everything he had done previously by taking on a major supporting role in the off-Broadway production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.

In 1971, Johnson signed with Atco Records to record his first album, There Is A Breeze, which was released in 1973 and produced by Johnson, Chris Dedrick, Peter Yarrow and Phil Ramone in New York and Toronto, Canada. Feeling this first effort was not a true reflection of his music (despite being a best seller in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area), Johnson self-produced his next LP in 1975, For All You Mad Musicians, relying more on his voice and guitar for a folk feel. He followed this up with Ain't Dis Da Life, where he added a rhythm section. With each new recording and his continued touring, his popularity was increasing.

Teaming up with Brent Maher and Steve Gibson in Nashville, Tennessee, Johnson created a two-song demo consisting of "Bluer Than Blue" and "Almost Like Being in Love" (the latter song from the Broadway musical Brigadoon). EMI America took one listen and wasted no time in signing him, quickly getting The Michael Johnson Album out in 1978. "Bluer Than Blue" was written by Randy Goodrum. The first single, "Bluer Than Blue", became Johnson's first Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1978; the song became a chart-topping single on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Almost Like Being in Love" went to No. 91 on the R&B chart while hitting the Top 5 on the AC chart and the Top 40 on the pop chart.

Johnson recorded five albums in all for EMI and in 1985 moved over to RCA Records, where he adopted a contemporary country style that stayed compatible with his soft, mellow leanings. He scored five Top Ten country hits from 1986 to 1989, including the chart-toppers "Give Me Wings" and "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder." After two country albums on RCA (plus two greatest hits collections), Johnson moved over to Atlantic Records in 1991.

In 1995, the country music group 4 Runner scored a minor hit with the single "Cain's Blood", for which Johnson co-wrote an updated version with Jack Sundrud of Poco.

Death

Johnson died at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 25, 2017, two weeks before what would have been his 73rd birthday.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Featured singles

Music videos

References

1. ^ "Michael Johnson (1944-2017): A Requiem". Ricochet. July 28, 2017.
2. "Michael Johnson: Singer & Guitarist". Mjblue.com. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
3. Betts, Stephen L. (July 27, 2017). "'Bluer Than Blue' Singer Michael Johnson Dead at 72". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X.
4. Barry McCloud. "Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and Its Performers (Perige, 1995)".
5. "Chad Mitchell Trio - Official Website". Chadmitchelltrio.com. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
6. Dauphin, Chuck (July 27, 2017). "'Bluer Than Blue' Singer Michael Johnson Dies at 72". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510.
7. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 206/8. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
8. Bream, Jon (July 27, 2017). "'Bluer Than Blue' Singer Michael Johnson dies at 72". Star Tribune.
9. "Michael Johnson Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
10. "allmusic ((( Michael Johnson > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". Allmusic. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
11. "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Albums/CDs". RPM. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
12. "Michael Johnson Chart History – Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
13. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 463. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
14. "Michael Johnson Chart History – Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 160. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
16. "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Country Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
17. "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
18. "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Adult Contemporary". RPM. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
19. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. May 9, 1992.
20. "New Videoclips" (PDF). Billboard. July 30, 1988.

External links

• Official website
• Michael Johnson at AllMusic
• Michael Johnson discography at Discogs

• 1944 births
• 2017 deaths
• People from Alamosa, Colorado
• American male singer-songwriters
• American country guitarists
• American folk guitarists
• American male guitarists
• American soft rock musicians
• American country singer-songwriters
• Singers from Denver
• Colorado State University alumni
• Guitarists from Colorado
• 20th-century American guitarists
• Atco Records artists
• EMI Records artists
• RCA Records artists
• Vanguard Records artists
• Atlantic Records artists
• Red House Records artists
• 20th-century American male musicians
• Singer-songwriters from Colorado