Willie Johnson

• Active: '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s
• Genres: Gospel
• Instrument: Baritone (Vocal), Composer, Bass (Vocal)

Biography

Most often credited as Bill Johnson, this artist is one of the founding members of the Golden Gate Quartet, a gospel ensemble whose sounds quite often crossed over into the realms of doo wop and barbershop quartet harmony. The original members of this group were Johnson, Henry Owens, Clyde Riddick, and Orlandus Wilson, all high-school students in Norfolk, VA. It was not the first time this name had been used for a gospel group -- another Golden Gate Quartet had started up in Baltimore in the final decade of the 19th century. However, the Norfolk ensemble became famous enough to gain bragging rights to the name. The group helped spread the sound of black gospel throughout the world and in some periods such as the '50s the Golden Gate Quartet performed more in Europe than in the United States.

The group's recordings, including famous spirituals such as the bossy "Go Where I Send Thee," the doubly demanding "Give Me Two Wings," and the clinging "Hold On," were issued on labels such as Decca, Capitol, and Crown. Some members of the group also overlapped into other gospel recording combos such as the Jubilaires and the Original Jubalaires. Rock listeners in the '70s were introduced to vocal abilities of Johnson on several trendy Ry Cooder albums. Elvis Presley, on the other hand, had known about the group well before then. Among personal favorite gospel selections that he recorded were numbers such as "I, John," co-written by Johnson and his quartet partners. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide