Chairmen Of The Board

Best known for their stuttering number three pop single "Give Me Just a Little More Time," the Chairmen of the Board ranked among Detroit's smoothest and most popular soul acts to surface in the early '70s. Their stay near the summit of the R&B charts proved short-lived, with the first Top Ten arrival coming in 1970 and the final one landing in 1973, yet they still managed to cut several enduring '70s soul classics marked by the high, trembling vocals of General Norman Johnson, who also supplied the majority of the group's songs.

Johnson, born and raised in Norfolk, VA, sang in the church choir from childhood and assembled his first vocal group, the Humdingers, at age 12. While still in high school he formed the Showmen, and during his senior year the band cut the rock & roll tribute "It Will Stand," which scraped both the pop and R&B charts in 1961. Johnson remained with the Showmen for the next seven years, issuing a string of singles on Minit and Swan Records that scored regional success and eventually turned the group into fixtures on the East Coast beach music circuit. In 1968 he exited to pursue a solo path, making his way to Detroit, MI, where he signed with the new Invictus label started by former Motown producers and songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland. There he assembled a lineup that included ex-Showman Danny Woods, former Stone Soul Children member Harrison Kennedy, and Eddie Curtis, previously of Lee Andrews & the Hearts and Huey Smith & the Clowns; the act began as the Gentlemen before quickly adopting the name Chairmen of the Board.

Their debut single, "Give Me Just a Little More Time," became an immediate smash, climbing to number three pop and number eight R&B in early 1970 and putting Invictus on the musical map. Two follow-ups, "(You've Got Me) Dangling on a String" and "Everything's Tuesday," kept them competitive on the R&B side yet never rose above number 38 pop. Although "Pay to the Piper" later reached number 13 on the pop chart, it marked their last Top 40 entry. From 1971 to 1974 the Chairmen of the Board drew stronger support from R&B listeners, as "Chairman of the Board" in 1971 and "Finder's Keepers" in 1973 both reached the Top Ten. Despite the steady flow of singles, the band halted recording in 1971 and briefly split; they regrouped the next year and concentrated on touring the Southeast beach music circuit, where their records continued to register as regional hits. Even as the Chairmen struggled for broader chart traction, Johnson's compositions scored successes for Clarence Carter with "Patches," Freda Payne with "Bring the Boys Home," and Honey Cone, who notched three hits—"Want Ads," "Stick Up," and "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show"—with his material.

The Chairmen of the Board kept touring and issuing albums until their 1976 disbandment, after which each member released solo projects. Johnson and Woods performed briefly under the Chairmen name before Johnson moved to Arista in the late '70s, where a handful of his singles reflected contemporary disco influences; he later rejoined Woods as the Chairmen in the early '80s, and the duo spent the next two decades regularly playing the Southeast to considerable success.