Little Johnny Taylor

about

Born: Feb 11, 1943 in Gregory, AR Died: May 17, 2002 in Conway, AR Styles: Northern Soul, Soul, Soul-Blues, Early R&B Biography Some folks still get them mixed up, so to get it straight from the outset, Little Johnny Taylor was best known for his scorching slow blues smashes "Part Time Love" (for Bay Area-based Galaxy Records in 1963) and 1971's "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" for Ronn Records in Shreveport, LA. This Johnny Taylor was definitely not the suave Sam Cooke protégé who blitzed the charts with "Who's Making Love" for Stax in 1968; that's Johnnie Taylor, who added to the confusion by covering "Part Time Love" for Stax. Another similarity between the two Taylors: both hailed from strong gospel backgrounds. Little Johnny came to Los Angeles in 1950 and did a stint with the Mighty Clouds of Joy before going secular. Influenced by Little Willie John, he debuted as an R&B artist with a pair of 45s for Hunter Hancock's Swingin' logo, but his career didn't soar until he inked a pact with Fantasy's Galaxy subsidiary in 1963 (where he benefited from crisp production by Cliff Goldsmith and Ray Shanklin's arrangements). The gliding mid-tempo blues "You'll Need Another Favor," firmly in a Bobby Bland mode, was Taylor's first chart item. He followed it up with the tortured R&B chart-topper "Part Time Love," which found him testifying in gospel-fired style over Arthur Wright's biting guitar and a grinding, horn-leavened downbeat groove. The singer also did fairly well wi

top songs

albums

Christmas In Soulsville

Part Time Love

Somewhere Down the Line / What You Need is a Ball

Open House At My House

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Everybody Knows About My Good Thing and Open House At My House

Greatest Hits

The Very Best of Little Johnny Taylor

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L.J.T. / Part Time Love

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Ugly Man

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Open House

Everybody Knows About My Good Thing

It's Christmas Time Again

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