Most famous of these is the flirtatious Funk nugget “So Fine,” penned especially for Howard by the late, great Kashif with Paul Laurence and Morrie Brown. On record, the song is still guaranteed to pack a dancefloor. But as performed live by Howard anywhere on the planet in concert, it will incinerate the place and leave any act that follows him shiverin’ in their Timberlands.
In 2022, THAT JAM celebrates its 40th anniversary. But on Saturday night, November 13, 2021, Funk fans in Southern California will get an advance vaccination at the San Diego Rhythm & Blues Festival, jumpin’ off at Jacob’s Center Amphitheatre.
At this all-star event, Howard Johnson promises to not only show out, he will be putting San Diego on early alert that there is far more to him than Classic Soul.
He has a grip of new music he’s been working on for years – especially during the pandemic – rich stories of his life, times and career to share…and FIRE new lines of cigars and coffee to unveil. Clearly, Howard Johnson isn’t just “keepin’ love new,” he’s steady steppin’ up his game – a game in which he has already lived three lifetimes. And he’s ready to share it all!
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“I never went away,” he says with quiet confidence from the shelter of his San Fernando Valley man cave. “There’s just so many other things that I do. I often quote my father. Two of the things he always instilled in me are 1. ‘Life is a marathon not a sprint’ and 2. ‘Life is not a bucket list – it’s a journey.’ Over the last several years, I’ve been carving out a way to share my life – in stories and in songs – while exercising my right to explore my passions without limits or fear.”
Folks that only know Howard Johnson for “So Fine” would be knocked over with a feather to learn that some of the first songs he sang and won talent contests with were “Moon River” by Henry Mancini as well as “Proud Mary” – The Ike & Tina version! The Florida native grew up in a fervently religious household with parents who both worked multiple jobs but made sure that music was a part of his life. His childhood was filled with sports (tennis, soccer, football) and adventures that found him witnessing AND experiencing things no teenager should ever behold…unless the golden rule was a well ingrained element of their DNA.
Did you know that in addition to R&B, Howard Johnson is also an incomparable Country singer/songwriter/guitarist? The man can literally sing and write in any style of music and has been working with everybody from Leon Sylvers III to DJ Battlecat on some truly mind-blowing new material…including a Gospel Dance throwdown! Longtime lowrider oldies fans and English Soul apostles have been in-boxing him great tracks to write to. And he has a show in the works incorporating material from the timeless Great American Songbook that will find him spending time in the finest showrooms of Vegas, Tahoe, Reno and Atlantic City.
Howard Johnson’s life is an amazing one. And his ability to spin that life into stories will leave audiences mesmerized. Did you know he is a triple Black Belt in several martial arts disciplines? Did you know he is an avid Rolleiflex photographer? Did you know he rodeos, rides motorcycles and still does daily 5 mile runs…even after battling his way back from paralysis and teaching himself to walk again a mere 9 months after one of his rope horses fell on top of him???
For evidence of his way with a story, a classic R&B chestnut and the imaginations of every woman in the room, look no further than a recent viral YouTube clip of Howard stepping on stage at Roscoe’s Seabird Lounge in Long Beach and performing an impromptu rendition of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.”
Then bring yourself out to the San Diego Rhythm & Blues Festival (on Nov 13) where Howard Johnson will proceed to set the stage on fire then calmly step out to a booth in the audience where you can talk to him, take a photo, engage with him on social media, sample his cigars and better get to know a brother who is still learning things. Howard is just getting started as he enters the third chapter of his life – turning 65 on November 28th. There will be a lot for Howard to be grateful for that preceding Thanksgiving.
Or as his father might say, “Life is too short to mail it in.”
