Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson's work as a singer and songwriter traversed an eclectic range of styles that included folk, pop, soft rock, and country. Across every genre he pursued, a smooth and agreeable vocal quality remained his consistent signature. Born in Alamosa, Colorado in 1944, he took up the guitar during his teenage years while absorbing rock and roll and jazz. At age twenty-one he spent a year in Barcelona studying classical guitar with Graciano Tarrago, then returned to the United States and joined a later incarnation of the folk group the Chad Mitchell Trio that included John Denver. His debut album, There Is a Breeze, surfaced in 1973 on Atco and presented a gentle, folk-influenced sound. Three further releases on smaller labels followed through the mid-1970s as his style edged toward soft rock, leading to a 1978 signing with EMI. That year he reached number one on the adult contemporary chart with the hit single "Bluer Than Blue," which nearly cracked the pop top ten, while "Almost Like Being in Love" (1978) and "This Night Won't Last Forever" (1979) both entered the adult contemporary top five. Five albums in total appeared on EMI before he moved to RCA in 1985 and adopted a contemporary country approach that remained compatible with his soft, mellow inclinations. The change proved unexpectedly successful, producing five top-ten country hits between 1986 and 1989, among them the chart-toppers "Give Me Wings" and "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder." After three country albums for RCA he shifted to Atlantic in 1991, which largely ended his commercial momentum, and his subsequent output in the 1990s was infrequent and limited to smaller labels.