Co-founder of The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and rhythm guitarist for The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.
Jimmy started out playing a dance in Tuscumbia, Alabama, and quickly became addicted to performing and getting paid for it. Although he was considered too raw to sit in on some of the sessions in his early years at FAME recording studio, it wasn’t long before he was in game shape and ready to defect with fellow FAMErs Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, and David Hood to Muscle Shoals.
In addition to playing rhythm guitar, Jimmy took up much of the production work. His credits included Paul Simon’s Grammy-nominated There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. He also produced The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Billy “Crash” Craddock, Connie Francis, Luther Ingram, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mickey Newbury, and Bob Seger, and engineered George Michael’s recording of “Careless Whisper”, The Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar”, and Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman”. (He made an appearance in the Stones’ concert film Gimme Shelter.)
As a rhythm guitarist, he performed with Duane Allman, Herb Alpert, Paul Anka, George Benson, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Chris Botti, Cher, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Will Downing, Dr. Hook, Jose Feliciano, Aretha Franklin, Art Garfunkel, Heart, Etta James, Barbara Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Lulu, Mel & Tim, Sergio Mendes, Dorothy Moore, Olivia Newton-John, The Oak Ridge Boys, Tony Orlando, Wilson Pickett, Prince, Johnny Rivers, Leon Russell, Boz Scaggs, Carly Simon, The Staple Singers, Rod Stewart, James Taylor, Johnnie Taylor, Randy Travis, and Carnie & Wendy Wilson.
In 1995, he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, and later became Chairman of the Board.
He died of kidney failure when he was 76 years old in September 2019.
Bob Seger recordings
Fire Lake
Capitol P-4836 (S96012) (US promo 45)
Here he is in an interview with Alan Walden about Lynyrd Skynyrd at Muscle Shoals…
Sources:
- http://jimmyjohnsonmusic.com/muscleshoals/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Johnson_%28musician%29
- http://www.alamhof.org/johnsonj.htm
- http://www.answers.com/topic/jimmy-johnson-american-football-coach?cat=technology
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/322421-Jimmy-Johnson-4
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jimmy-johnson-mn0002284695/biography