Best known for singing ballads, Johnny opted to release a dance record first. On March 17, 1990, the first single “Rub You The Right Way” debuted on the Billboard Charts and immediately made an impact. Motown Records Ad for The first single “Rub You The Right Way” “That was my defining moment, where we put the nail in the coffin” he said. “That was the first time we had a chance to put together Jam & Lewis and LA & Babyface to work on an album together” Gill said by phone from his home in Los Angeles. That’s like having the music industry equivalent of Fort Knox on your side. Reid and Babyface all produced tracks for what would become a masterpiece for Johnny Gill. The productions teams of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and L.A. If that wasn’t enough, Gill had the best of both worlds working on his album, two sets of super producers. So, going into his own project, Johnny already had on #1 hit on the charts with Stacy and a new found following of fans that now know him from New Edition. The song went to #1 on Februand stayed there for two weeks. Fresh off the ‘Heartbreak’ tour, Johnny returned to the scene joining forces with Stacy Lattisaw and the two recorded the song “Where Do We Go from Here” that was featured on Lattisaw’s album. “I consider them the genius behind the sound because they worked with five different guys to create one sound” Gill said. In 1984, Johnny recorded a duet album with DC’s own Stacy Lattisaw that included the top ten hit “Perfect Combination.” After recording the “Heartbreak” album with New Edition in 1988, Johnny Gill left Minneapolis with nothing but praise for super producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Prior to hooking up with New Edition, Gill released two solo albums 1983’s “Johnny Gill” and 1985’s “Chemistry” on Cotillion Records. Everyone in the NE camp understood and knew full well that when the album and tour was over, Johnny was going to release his solo album. He put those songs and his album on hold. He had already recorded the songs “Feel So Much Better” and “Just a Lonely Night” right before joining New Edition. In March of 1990, Bell Biv DeVoe would be the first spin off from New Edition to come out with new music as they dropped their monster hit “Poison.” Johnny Gill, originally a solo artist before joining New Edition, was already signed to do a solo album for Motown when he joined the group for their “Heartbreak” project. New Edition took a break after completing their ‘Heartbreak’ tour opening the doors for the solo projects to go full steam ahead. “That 1990 album was the album that sealed my legacy in the game.” Johnny Gill Great music will always stand the test of time, and Johnny Gill gave us one hell of an album filled with Rhythm, Soul, New Jack Swing and R&B. His powerful, soulful and gritty vocals made him one of the top modern day generation singers in R&B and left women mesmerized with “My, My, My.” Let’s revisit that classic album that music lovers still rock on their playlists today. It’s been 30 years since Johnny Gill unleashed his classic self-titled “Johnny Gill” album to the world.
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