The Brothers Johnson Songs Ranked
The Brothers Johnson were an American funk and R&B band consisting of American musicians and brothers George (“Lightnin’ Licks”) and Louis E. Johnson (“Thunder Thumbs”). They achieved their greatest success from the mid-1970s to early 1980s, with three singles topping the R&B charts (“I’ll Be Good to You”, “Strawberry Letter 23”, and “Stomp!”). Guitarist/vocalist George and bassist/vocalist Louis formed the band Johnson Three Plus One with older brother Tommy and their cousin Alex Weir while attending school in Los Angeles, California. When they became professionals, the band backed such touring R&B acts as Bobby Womack and the Supremes. George and Louis Johnson later joined Billy Preston’s band and wrote selections for his albums Music Is My Life and The Kids & Me before leaving his group in 1973. In 1976, the Brothers covered the Beatles’ song, “Hey Jude”, for the musical documentary All This and World War II. Here are all of The Brothers Johnson songs ranked.
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10. Hey Jude (All This and World War II, 1976)
“All This and World War II was a ’70s curio and film documentary in songs that left theaters nearly as soon as it arrived. The basic premise of the film was the matching up of Beatle songs with archive film footage and photography of the war that was supposed to somehow catch the spirit of those songs.”
9. Q (Right on Time, 1977)
“Old school at it’s best. Luv the Brothers Johnson. This is one of those special songs that ‘ll take you back to the 70’s. This is a much appreciated yet underrated tribute to the Brothers Johnson mentor Q, better known as Quincy Jones.”
8. Ain’t We Funkin’ Now (Blam!, 1978)
“Such an awesome jam. Shame I didn’t know about it back in the day. However, I can see how influential it was. There are a number of folks who sampled from this song.”
See more: The Brothers Johnson Albums Ranked
7. Treasure (Light Up the Night, 1980)
“This song brought tears to my eyes!! Made me think of young love and those of my youth. Wow!!! The power of Music! I’m so blessed to be able to experience sound and senses of the mind. I thought about that just because it happened.”
6. The Real Thing (Winners, 1981)
“There it is again find cuts thats real music all the music that came up in our past years black and white music was a time when life was so good even with this virus going on great to find stuff to listen to and readings”
5. Light Up the Night (Light Up the Night, 1980)
“This song is far more exiting than a lot of 70s disco songs. For me this isn’t even a disco song. Maybe there some string arrangement but the melody and the synths make it sound more 80s-like.”
See more: The Doobie Brothers Songs Ranked
4. Come Together (Look Out for #1, 1976)
“My favorite Beatles song covered by the Brothers Johnson. That is almost more awesome than when I found out Earth, Wind & Fire covered a Beatls song, too.”
3. Strawberry Letter 23 (Right on Time, 1977)
“The charm is in how they sound like the coolest dudes in the universe and, at the same time and in the same thought, like sentimental dopes who write flowery poetry for their girlfriends. The melody and the words are Shuggie’s, but Johnson and Johnson live them completely.”
2. I’ll Be Good to You (Look Out for #1, 1976)
“It’s amazing how a few well tuned and well played instraments with nice vocals can move your soul further than any orchestra. One of my favorite songs. Sang with a lot of feeling. Back when real music was popular.”
1. Stomp! (Light Up the Night, 1980)
“This duo never really got the attention that they deserved. This is probably the best single release they had. It is tight, funky, and hits the groove from beginning to end. Vocals are terrific and the handclaps are icing on the cake. Makes you want to party and you wish that the record went on even longer.”