Johnny Johnson (July 20, 1942 – March 2, 2023) – Soul Sahara (1971)

This upbeat funky jam produced by Tony Macauley was a B-side from the unsung singer/songwriter who fronted The Bandwagon.

View most updated version of this post on Substack

Search our full archives

Johnny Johnson was an unsung singer/songwriter who fronted a vocal group called The Bandwagon in the late 1960s.

Born in Belle Glade, Florida, John A. Mathis entertained customers at his family’s store starting at a young age. His family moved to Rochester, New York when he was four years old, where he later attended Madison High School. Johnson married his high school sweetheart soon after graduating.

In 1967 he formed the soul vocal group The Bandwagon. Other members were Artie Fullilove, Billy Bradley, and Terry Lewis. They broke up in 1969 but Johnson kept the act going with a succession of replacement vocalists, billed as Johnny Johnson and His Bandwagon.

He wrote their upbeat 1970 song “Never Let Her Go,” produced by Tony Macauley and released as the B-side to “(Blame It) On The Pony Express” on Bell Records which became a top-ten hit in the UK.

The following year, Johnson covered Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1971). The single’s B-side was the upbeat, funky jam “Soul Sahara,” written by the unknown songwriter Humphrey Oakey and produced by Tony Macauley.

Happy Heavenly Birthday to the great Johnny Johnson.

Further info:

“John A. Mathis,” obituary, Legacy.com, March 9, 2023.

#soul #funk #JohnnyJohnson