Jellybean Johnson

Garry George "Jellybean" Johnson (born November 19, 1956) is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, producer and musician based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As the drummer for The Time, Johnson worked alongside famed producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and recorded with and/or produced many notable artists including Alexander O'Neal, Cherrelle, New Edition and Janet Jackson, with whom he had the 1990 #1 single, "Black Cat".

After the breakup of The Time, Johnson decided to work as a producer, musician as well as songwriter and became a long-time associate of Flyte Tyme productions.

His first assignment was Alexander O'Neal's #11 R&B hit "Innocent" (produced by fellow Time bandmates Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis).

On this track, he was not only the drummer, but delivered the guitar solos for the second half of the ten-minute long song.

From this recording forward, Johnson became an in-demand session guitarist, drummer and percussionist for O'Neal, Cherrelle, Jackson and more.

He also produced a number of hits for the aforementioned as well as New Edition, and helmed Mint Condition's 1991 debut album Meant to Be Mint.

Running parallel, Johnson re-joined The Time for the Prince film Graffiti Bridge and its accompanying Time album, Pandemonium.

Shortly after, Johnson returned to touring with Morris Day, while continuing to produce emerging artists and work as a session player.

In 2008, he collaborated with Rihanna at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, then began work on his solo debut.

Following the unexpected death of Prince in 2016, Johnson halted production.

He returned to the Grammy Stage for both the 2017 tribute and the 2020 Salute To Prince, and finally released Get Experienced in 2021.

During 2022, Johnson founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum and- along with Morris Day, Monte Moir and fellow members of The Time- was awarded a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award.