Rest in peace, Mr Johnson, and many thanks for all the music you gave as well as the inspiration you continue to give.
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R.I.P Louis Johnson
- Thread starter Funk$tar
- Start date
Praise the Lord for you Louis! Warrior, Friend, Brother in Christ.....
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV) RIP.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7 NIV) RIP.
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That rare spirit you can feel from the very first time you hear a song... a summer night's drive in the back seat of the parent's car - late 70's - "I'll Be Good To You" - the trippy funk of "Strawberry Letter 23"... then you find out that "low guitar" is called a bass - soon there's a Stingray in the house.
A true king of bass and the best kind of pure inspiration - here's to Louis Johnson and all his music.
A true king of bass and the best kind of pure inspiration - here's to Louis Johnson and all his music.
All the more reason I think the Sting Ray is the Louis Johnson sig bass, because as far as I'm concern it was he that put this bass on the map.
I actually felt that it was he who taught me how to play without ever meeting him.. I only have 4 bass player that I truly gravitated to when I would hear a record that I knew they were on. 2 of them now have passed ( Louis Johnson and Mark Adams )
Back in the day, these were called "SongBooks"-
I have this one, Right On Time, & Quincy's I Heard That!! (which has some nice bass work by Louis)...
Oh there was much more. You have to understand that he studied under Ray Brown when he was real young.
Really? That's awesome news to hear. I love it when things such as this comes up because it gives an better understanding as to how the great and admired came about to their level of skill. A lot of us bassist see an mid or end result and want to copy that part without a "true" understanding of the path that laid before the craftsman.
FF
What's the reference for that? I never heard of Louis Johnson studying under Ray Brown before.
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RIP man, loved all the Brothers Johnson records, Michael Jackson work and others. Great player and groove.
I shouldn't say studied, however when I lived in California ( 89) my next door neighbor ( who was a trumpet player) and Louis went to the same H.S together and they knew each other rather well. Anyway he would mention that Louis and Ray would get together quite often and practice when Ray was in town. Hey he knew Louis and I had to reason to doubt it and I knew both of them were on some of the Quincy Jones sessions so it wouldn't supprise me if the both of them did get together, however I wish I could've met Louis while I was out there.
Thanks for the information! It's always good to get a little more information about our favorite players.
Embarrassingly, this is the first I am hearing about LJ and like all of you, I am saddened by the news. 60 just ain't old enough, especially for someone who is still contributing to his already enormous and excellent body of work. Witnessing the passing of yet another musical icon of my childhood, I feel old (at 52), like someone in a retirement home watching all his friends disappear one by one. Maybe it's the weather, today is cold and grey (Montreal and tomorrow is June!), but I definitely feel like I'm in a FUNK...
Play on elsewhere, Brother Johnson.
Play on elsewhere, Brother Johnson.
