Age, Biography and Wiki

Syl Johnson (Sylvester Thompson) was born on 1 July, 1936 in Holly Springs, Mississippi, U.S., is an American blues and soul singer (1936–2022). Discover Syl Johnson's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 85 years old?

Popular As Sylvester Thompson
Occupation Musician · singer · songwriter · record producer
Age 85 years old
Zodiac Sign Cancer
Born 1 July 1936
Birthday 1 July
Birthplace Holly Springs, Mississippi, U.S.
Date of death 6 February, 2022
Died Place Mableton, Georgia, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 1 July. He is a member of famous singer with the age 85 years old group.

Syl Johnson Height, Weight & Measurements

At 85 years old, Syl Johnson height not available right now. We will update Syl Johnson's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
Weight Not Available
Body Measurements Not Available
Eye Color Not Available
Hair Color Not Available

Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Not Available
Sibling Not Available
Children Syleena Johnson (daughter)

Syl Johnson Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Syl Johnson worth at the age of 85 years old? Syl Johnson’s income source is mostly from being a successful singer. He is from United States. We have estimated Syl Johnson's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income singer

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Timeline

1936

Sylvester Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson; July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022) was an American blues and soul singer, musician, songwriter and record producer.

1950

Born near Holly Springs, Mississippi, the sixth child of a harmonica-playing farmer, he moved with his family in about 1950 to Chicago, where blues guitarist Magic Sam was his next-door neighbor.

Johnson sang and played with Magic Sam and other blues artists, such as Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf, in the 1950s.

1959

He recorded with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959, and – after label owner Syd Nathan suggested he change his name from Thompson to Johnson – made his solo debut that same year with "Teardrops" on Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.

However, Johnson's recordings for King and Federal met with little success, and he also kept a day job as a truck driver.

1960

After several years recording for small local labels, and performing regularly in local clubs, Johnson began recording for Twilight/Twinight of Chicago in the mid-1960s.

1967

His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), "Is It Because I'm Black" (1969) and "Take Me to the River" (1975).

Beginning with his first hit, "Come On Sock It to Me", in 1967, he dominated the label as both a hit-maker and a producer.

His song "Different Strokes", also from 1967, is included on the breakbeat compilation album, Ultimate Breaks and Beats (SBR 504), and some years later was sampled on many hip hop tracks.

1968

Both "Come On Sock It to Me" and "Different Strokes" featured on Johnson's debut LP, Dresses Too Short, in 1968.

1969

Like other black songwriters of the period, Johnson wrote songs exploring themes of African-American identity and social problems, such as "Is It Because I'm Black", which reached number 11 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1969.

The song has been described as "among the most affecting of the civil rights era," and provided the title track of his second album.

1970

It takes its inspiration from events in the life of this "mostly forgotten" (according to Greil Marcus) soul singer from the 1970s seeking a second attempt at a career.

While his records were being sampled by artists from Wu-Tang Clan to Kid Rock, to Jay-Z and Kanye West, Johnson often found himself with neither credit nor money.

Johnson was the brother of blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson and bassist Mack Thompson.

1971

In 1971, the producer Willie Mitchell brought Johnson to Hi Records.

Together they recorded three albums, which generated a number of singles.

1975

Produced in Memphis with the Hi house band, these albums contained the hits "We Did It", "Back for a Taste of Your Love" and "Take Me to the River", his biggest success, reaching number 7 on the R&B chart in 1975, and first recorded as an album track by labelmate Al Green.

However, at Hi Records, Johnson was always to some extent in the shadow of Al Green, commercially if not artistically.

Mitchell also chose to use mainly in-house compositions rather than Johnson's original songs.

According to Robert Pruter, "His output on the label was of a consistently higher quality than his Twinight work. In most respects, the Hi material possessed better melodies, had more rhythmic punch, and were just better produced."

1976

Reviewing one of his last albums for Hi, 1976's Total Explosion, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): "Johnson has tended to disappear in between Willie Mitchell and Al Green, but on this LP he takes his harmonica up to the microphone and stands clear as a lapsed bluesman. Good move. His voice is still shriller, and more strained than Green's, but that can be a satisfying distinction in the right context."

1980

Around the mid-1980s, Johnson mostly retired from performing, making only occasional appearances at blues clubs.

At that time, he opened a chain of seafood restaurants, and began investing in real estate.

1982

After his years with Hi ended, Johnson produced two LPs for his own Shama label, the second of which, the soul/funk Ms. Fine Brown Frame (1982), was picked up for distribution by Boardwalk Records.

The title track of that album was Johnson's last hit record.

1992

In 1992, Johnson found out that his song "Different Strokes" had been sampled by several rappers, including Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Kool G Rap, Hammer, De La Soul, and the Geto Boys.

This stimulated his interest in making a comeback in the music industry.

1994

He recorded the album Back in the Game, released by Delmark Records in 1994, which featured the Hi Rhythm Section and his youngest daughter, Syleena Johnson.

Johnson was one of the most sampled artists, largely from "Different Strokes" and "Is It Because I'm Black".

He felt passionately that taking music from an original artist without proper compensation constituted theft, and he sued other artists for copyright infringement.

2014

In 2014, he appeared in an episode of the TV One reality series R&B Divas: Atlanta, in which he offered advice and encouragement to his daughter Syleena before she gave a live performance.

Johnson and his family appeared on the American reality television series Iyanla: Fix My Life, by the request of his daughter Syleena, to help her mother's alcohol addiction.

He died of congestive heart failure, at the home of one of his daughters, in Mableton, Georgia, on February 6, 2022, at the age of 85, six days after the death of his older brother Jimmy.

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2015

The 2015 documentary Any Way the Wind Blows, directed by Rob Hatch-Miller, premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival.