General Johnson

General Norman Johnson (May 23, 1941 – October 13, 2010) was an American R&B singer, frontman of the Chairmen of the Board, songwriter, and record producer. He usually performed as General Johnson, although sometimes (particularly early in his career) he was billed as Norman Johnson. "General Norman" were in fact his given forenames, in that order; General was not a nickname, stage name or military title.

Biography Johnson and wife Julia had three children together, Antonio, Norman and Sonya. They resided in the upper-middle class city of East Point, a suburb of Atlanta. Johnson made an early start in music when he began singing in his church choir at the age of six. His recording debut came six years later on Atlantic Records, which recorded his group the Humdingers, although the tracks remain unreleased. In 1961, and following a change in name to the Showmen, Johnson and the group recorded “It Will Stand”, a single for Minit Records. It was a chart hit in both 1961 and 1964. Although the Showmen recorded other offerings for Minit and Swan, including such hits as "39-21-46", they split up in 1968.

Johnson attempted an abortive solo career before joining the then new Invictus label in Detroit, Michigan. Steered by Holland-Dozier-Holland, Johnson recruited Danny Woods (ex-The Showmen), Harrison Kennedy, and Eddie Curtis and created Chairmen of the Board. Their debut single "Give Me Just a Little More Time" rose to #3 in the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1970. Additional hits included "(You've Got Me) Dangling on a String" and "Everything's Tuesday".

Johnson died on October 13, 2010, in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. His obituary in The New York Times reported that his family attributed his death to complications of lung cancer.