Jo Armstead

Josephine Armstead (born October 8, 1944), In the 1970s, Armstead appeared in the Broadway musicals Don't Play Us Cheap and Seesaw.

Life and career Armstead was born to Wilton and Rosie Armstead in Yazoo City, Mississippi on October 8, 1944. She started singing in the church in which her mother was a minister. After her grandfather introduced her to blues music, she also began singing in juke joints and at dances, and first sang in a club as part of Bobby "Blue" Bland's band. She joined a local band, Little Melvin & The Downbeats, as a teenager.

In 1960, Armstead along with Eloise Hester and Delores Johnson became The Ikettes as part of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. She had been recommended to Ike Turner by her sister Velma Dishman who was his ex-wife. As an Ikette, Armstead recorded the single "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)" which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the R&B chart. In 1962, Armstead settled in New York City and recorded under the name Deena Johnson, by her own account a pseudonym to avoid being tracked down by Turner. Its follow-up "I Don't Need No Doctor" was also a hit. The trio of writers also had success with songs for Chuck Jackson, Maxine Brown and Tina Britt.

Selected discography

Singles Year SingleUS Pop 1962"Never Try To Love No More"——1963"Sitting Here Thinking"—— 1968"A Stone Good Lover" 129 28"I've Been Turned On" — 50"I Feel An Urge Coming On"——1969"Another Reason Why I Love You"——1970"I'm Gonna Show You (How A Man Is Supposed To Be Treated)"——1973"I Got The Vibes"—— 1974"Stumblin' Blocks, Steppin' Stones (What Took Me So Long)" — 911989"In The Right Place "——

Backing vocal credits

1971: Esther Phillips – From A Whisper to a Scream 1971: Valerie Simpson – Exposed 1971: Roberta Flack – "To Love Somebody" 1971: Quincy Jones – Smackwater Jack 1971: B.B. King – In London 1972: Valerie Simpson – Valerie Simpson 1972: David Bromberg – "Sharon" 1972: Archie Shepp – Attica Blues 1973: Ashford & Simpson – Gimme Something Real 1973: Blood, Sweat & Tears – No Sweat 1973: Esther Phillips – Black-Eyed Blues 1974: The Kiki Dee Band – "I've Got the Music in Me" 1974: Ashford & Simpson – I Wanna Be Selfish 1975: Roberta Flack – Feel Like Makin' Love 1975: Sky King – Secret Sauce 1975: Randall Bramblett – That Other Mile 1975: Frankie Valli – Closeup 1976: Ashford & Simpson – Come As You Are 1977: Burt Bacharach – Futures 1978: Taj Mahal – "Why You Do Me This Way" 1978: Good Rats – "You're Still Doing It" 1978: Sylvia Syms – She Loves To Hear The Music 1978: Nina Simone – Baltimore 1979: Ashford & Simpson – "Dance Forever" 1980: Jess Roden – Stonechaser 1981: Max Romeo – "Holding Out My Love To You" 1982: Stephanie Mills – Tantalizingly Hot 1998: Luther Vandross – "Get It Right"

Songwriting credits

1965: "The Real Thing" – Tina Britt 1965: "One Step at a Time" – Maxine Brown 1966: "Let's Go Get Stoned" – Ray Charles 1965: "Hey Ho, What You Do to Me" – The Guess Who 1965: "My Heart Belongs to You" – The Shirelles 1965: "Never Had It So Good" – Ronnie Milsap 1966: "The Hard Way" – The Nashville Teens 1966: "I'm Satisfied" – Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown 1966: "Cry Like a Baby" – Aretha Franklin 1966: "I Don't Need No Doctor" – Ray Charles 1967: "Come on Sock It to Me" – Syl Johnson 1967: "Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over)" – Ruby Andrews 1968: "A Stone Good Lover" – Jo Armstead 1968: "I've Been Turned On" – Jo Armstead 1968: "Sock It to Me (Part 1)" – The Deacons 1969: "Look at Mary Wonder (How I Got Over)" – Carl Carlton 1969: "Jealous Kind of Fella" – Garland Green 1969: "Don't Think That I'm a Violent Guy" – Garland Green 1969: "I Don't Need No Doctor" – Joe Cocker, Live at Woodstock 1970: "Drop by My Place" – Carl Carlton 1970: "I Can Feel It" – Carl Carlton 1971: "I Don't Need No Doctor" – Humble Pie, Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore 1972: "I Don't Need No Doctor" – New Riders of the Purple Sage, Powerglide 1972: "Silly Wasn't I" – Valerie Simpson 1973: "Cry Like a Baby" – Dorothy Moore 1974: "Stumblin' Blocks, Steppin' Stones (What Took Me So Long)" – Jo Armstead 1980: "Casanova" – Coffee 1982: "A Friend of Mine" – Gladys Knight & the Pips 1986: "I Don't Need No Doctor" – W.A.S.P., Inside the Electric Circus

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