Died On This Date (May 31, 2000) Johnnie Taylor / Soul Singer
themusicsover Johnnie Taylor
May 5, 1938 – May 31, 2000
Johnnie Taylor was one of those rare talents who could adapt his style to fit whatever the current trend was looking for. He found success with gospel, soul, blues, doo wop, and disco. Taylor’s first break came in 1957 when he replaced Sam Cooke as front man of the Soul Stirrers, the influential gospel group. In 1961, he signed to Cooke’s label, Star Records. But when Cooke was murdered in 1964, Taylor moved back to Memphis where he was signed to the legendary Stax Records where he had a string of R&B hits that primarily showcased his smooth crooning. Then came the mid ’70s, and Taylor found himself on CBS Records where in 1976, he delivered one of disco’s biggest smashes, “Disco Lady.” That song would become the very first single to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. It went on to sell more than two million copies. By the ’80s, disco was dead and so was Taylor’s ascension to the top, so he went back to where it all began and signed with Malaco Records, a label that let him revisit the sound of his early career, the blues. His career stayed active through the late ’90s, but on May 31, 2000, Johnnie Taylor suffered a fatal heart attack.
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Ali-Ollie Woodson was an R&B singer who is best remembered as a two-time singer for the Temptations. His terms with the group were 1984 to 1986, and then again from 1988 to 1996. His biggest hit for the group was the 1984 #2 record, “Treat Her Like A Lady,” on which he sang lead, co-wrote, and co-produced. During the early part of his career, Woodson was part of a Drifters revival act of the early ’70s. Following his years with the Temptations, he formed his own touring soul review, performed in a latter-day Temptations Revue, and did some acting. On May 30, 2010, Ali-Ollie Woodson died of leukemia. He was 58.
As one of R&B’s unsung heroes, Little Willie John sang with a robust voice and an emotional range that would be cited as an influence by no less than 