Buddy Johnson

With his sister Ella serving for years as the band's alluring lead singer, pianist Buddy Johnson guided an expansive jump blues ensemble that achieved major popularity across the 1940s and 1950s. The polished leader featured several capable vocalists such as the balladeers Arthur Prysock, Nolan Lewis, and Floyd Ryland, yet the group's lasting appeal stemmed from Ella's restrained phrasing, most memorably on the lush ballad "Since I Fell for You," together with Buddy's sharply rhythmic "Walk-Em Rhythm."

Buddy started piano instruction at the age of four. Although he made his professional mark in R&B, classical repertoire stayed a lifelong interest. He cut his debut 78 for Decca in 1939 with "Stop Pretending (So Hep You See)." Ella soon linked up with her brother, and her vocal on "Please Mr. Johnson" secured her ongoing role.

By 1941 Buddy had formed a nine-piece orchestra and placed multiple sides on the R&B charts for Decca amid the war years, among them "Let's Beat Out Some Love," "Baby Don't You Cry," the number-one "When My Man Comes Home," and "That's the Stuff You Gotta Watch." Ella recorded her definitive version of "Since I Fell for You" in 1945, one year after Buddy delivered his swinging "Fine Brown Frame."

Beyond repeated R&B chart entries, the Johnson outfit toured extensively to packed houses throughout the decade. Buddy signed with Mercury Records in 1953, where Ella scored further successes on "Hittin' on Me" and "I'm Just Your Fool," the latter a 1954 hit later adapted by Chicago harpist Little Walter.

The rise of rock & roll slowed Buddy's progress, yet the band, with tenor saxophonist Purvis Henson a steady member of the reed section, continued on Mercury until 1958, moved to Roulette the following year, and concluded its discography with a lone date for Hy Weiss' Old Town label in 1964.

Lenny Welch secured the lasting fame of "Since I Fell for You" when his polished reading of the Johnson composition climbed high on the pop charts in 1963. The song and singer aligned seamlessly, as Welch's assured, velvety style would have blended naturally with the Johnson ensemble at its peak two decades prior.