The Very First Time - Music

Michael Johnson August 8 1944 – July 25 2017 Was An American Pop Country And Folk Singer-Songwriter And Guitarist. He Is Best Known For His 1978 Hit Song "Bluer Than Blue". He Charted Four Hits On The Billboard Hot 100 Charts And Nine More On The Hot Country Songs Charts Including Two Number One Country Hits In 1986's "Give Me Wings" And "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder". He Also Co-Wrote "Cain's Blood" The Debut Single Of 1990s Country Group 4 Runner. Johnson Was Born In The Small Town Of Alamosa Colorado In The South-Central Part Of The State He Grew Up In Denver. He Started Playing The Guitar At 13. In 1963 He Began Attending Colorado State University To Study Music But His College Career Was Truncated When He Won An International Talent Contest Two Years Later. First Prize Included A Deal With Epic Records. Epic Released The Song "Hills" Written And Sung By Johnson As A Single. Johnson Began Extensive Touring Of Clubs And Colleges Finding A Receptive Audience Everywhere He Went. Wishing To Hone His Instrumental Skills In 1966 He Set Off For Barcelona Spain To The Liceu Conservatory Studying With The Eminent Classical Guitarists Graciano Tarragó And Renata Tarragó. Upon His Return To The States He Joined Randy Sparks In A Group Called The New Society And Did A Tour Of The Orient. When The Band Dissolved In 1967 He Signed On With The Chad Mitchell Trio For A Year Spending Some Of That Time Co-Writing With Another Member John Denver. The Group Was Renamed Denver Boise & Johnson. When The Trio Came To An End Johnson Made A Radical Departure From Everything He Had Done Previously By Taking On A Major Supporting Role In The Off-Broadway Production Of "Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris." The Show Visited New York City Los Angeles And Chicago Over The Next Year By Then Johnson Was Ready To Return To Creating And Performing His Own Music. In 1971 Johnson Signed With Atco Records To Release His First Album There Is A Breeze Which Was Released In 1973 And Produced By Johnson Chris Dedrick Peter Yarrow And Phil Ramone In New York And Toronto Canada. Feeling This First Effort Wasn't A True Reflection Of His Music Despite Being A Huge Best Seller In The Minneapolis-St. Paul Area Johnson Self-Produced His Next LP In 1975 For All You Mad Musicians Relying More On His Voice And Guitar For A Folk Feel. He Followed This Up With Ain't Dis Da Life Where He Added A Rhythm Section. With Each New Recording And His Continued Touring His Popularity Was Increasing. It Was Time To Make A Move On The National Market. Teaming Up With Brent Maher And Steve Gibson In Nashville Tennessee Johnson Created A Two-Song Demo Consisting Of "Bluer Than Blue" And "Almost Like Being In Love" The Latter Song From The Broadway Musical Brigadoon . EMI America Took One Listen And Wasted No Time In Signing Him Quickly Getting The Michael Johnson Album Out In 1978. The First Single "Bluer Than Blue" Became Johnson's First Top 40 Hit Peaking At No. 12 On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart In The Summer Of 1978 The Song Became A Chart-Topping Single On The Adult Contemporary Chart. "Almost Like Being In Love" Went To No. 91 On The R&B Chart While Hitting The Top 5 On The AC Chart And The Top 40 On The Pop Chart. His Next EMI Album Dialogue Provided His Third Big Hit "This Night Won't Last Forever" And A Gold Record For European Sales Of "I'll Always Love You." Johnson Recorded Five Albums In All For EMI And In 1985 Moved Over To RCA Records Where He Adopted A Contemporary Country Style That Stayed Compatible With His Soft Mellow Leanings This Shift Was Evident In His Choice Of Duet Partners Country-Pop Singers Juice Newton And Sylvia. Johnson's Change Proved Successful As He Scored Five Top Ten Country Hits From 1986 To 1989 Including The Chart-Toppers "Give Me Wings" And "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder." After Two Country Albums On RCA Plus Two Greatest Hits Collections Johnson Moved Over To Atlantic Records In 1991 Which Effectively Halted His Commercial Momentum. He Recorded Sporadically In The 1990s For Smaller Labels. In 1995 The Country Music Group 4 Runner Scored A Minor Hit With The Single "Cain's Blood" For Which Johnson Co-Wrote An Updated Version With Jack Sundrud Of Poco. Johnson Also Proved To Be A Successful Writer Of Print When He Wrote "The Solo Performer" Columns For The Magazine Performing Songwriter From 1993 Through 1998. In August 2007 Johnson Underwent Successful Quadruple Bypass Heart Surgery. A Charitable Organization "Friends Of Michael Johnson " Was Temporarily Set Up To Help Defray Medical Expenses. Johnson Died July 2017 At His Home In Minneapolis Minnesota At The Age Of 72. read less