Copyright Baltimore Sun
Terry Johnson, a guitarist, arranger and vocalist remembered for his version of “I Only Have Eyes for You,” he sang with the 1950s pop vocal group, The Flamingos, died Oct. 8 in Las Vegas. The former West Baltimore resident was 86. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, Mr. Johnson went from a back street in West Baltimore to top theatrical venues. Smokey Robinson recruited him as a Motown Records arranger. Born Isaiah Samuel Johnson in Baltimore, he was the son of Isaiah Samuel Johnson Sr. and his wife, Rebecca. He lived in a small home in the 1300 block of Whatcoat Street and immersed himself in the self-taught musical culture of his neighborhood. When his sister could not pronounce Isaiah, he got the nickname Buzzy. In a 2019 history of The Flamingos, by author Todd R. Baptista, Mr. Johnson recalled listening to his parents’ radio and hearing Andy Williams and the McGuire Sisters. But the close harmony singer, Earlington Tilghman, known as Sonny Til, lived across the street. Til’s musical group, the Orioles, cut a hit record, “It’s Too Soon to Know.” Mr. Johnson begged his mother for the money to go to the nearby Royal Theater on Pennsylvania Avenue, where he saw the top acts of the day. By his mid-teens, he was an accomplished guitarist (he listened to Les Paul and Mary Ford) and sax player, and read music. He possessed a polished baritone voice and could deliver the falsetto tenor popular at the time. As a teen, he performed at West Baltimore talent shows, at Rich’s Carousel Lounge on Poplar Grove Street, at Carr’s and Sparrow’s beaches in Anne Arundel County and the Diamond Club on The Block. A classmate from Frederick Douglass High School suggested he join their singing group, the Whispers, whose members recorded on the Gotham label. His ticket out of Baltimore came when there was a vacancy in The Flamingos, a Chicago-based vocal group. He auditioned at the Royal and, after just turning 18, was summoned to New York City, beginning a life as a professional musician. Within months, he was recording with the Flamingos on the Decca label. Mr. Johnson recorded albums with his group — Flamingo Serenade, Requestfully Yours and Flamingo Favorites. The group toured widely and appeared five times on the TV show American Bandstand. “They took the pop music songs of the 30s and 40s and translated them for a rhythm and blues vocal group,” said Milton A. Dugger, a friend from Baltimore. “Terry told me he got the idea for the ‘Only Have Eyes’ arrangement in a dream. The other Flamingos thought it would be a dud, but it turned out as their greatest hit.” The Flamingos later split into two groups and Mr. Johnson stayed with the ensemble known as the Modern Flamingos, the Fabulous Flamingos and Terry Johnson’s Flamingos. His version of The Flamingos appeared on two PBS specials: Rock and Roll at Fifty and Do Wop Cavalcade: The Definitive Anthology. In 1964, Smokey Robinson recruited Johnson onto the staff of Motown Records, where he and Robinson became regular collaborators. Their most notable credited work was the 1969 Billboard Top 10 hit for The Miracles, “Baby, Baby Don’t Cry.” Mr. Johnson also wrote and produced for the Four Tops, the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas and the Supremes. In 1969, Johnson released the solo 45’s “My Springtime” Among his many industry achievements, he was musical conductor for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. He never retired and appeared in Baltimore last year at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Govans. Survivors include his wife and longtime musical partner, Theresa Trigg. She said survivors include grandchildren, nieces and nephews and cousins. A funeral will be held Nov. 12 in Las Vegas on what would have been his 87th birthday. Have a news tip? Contact Jacques Kelly at jkelly@baltsun.com.
