Jellybean Johnson one of the pioneers of the Minneapolis Sound, the original and only drummer for the Time, and multi-instrumentalist/producer died on Friday, Nov. 21. He was 69. No cause of death has been disclosed. His death was confirmed by his friend and bandmate Morris Day, lead singer of Morris Day and the Time, which was also later known as the Original 7ven. “Jellybean was a friend of mine since the age of 11 years old,” Day said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “He wasn’t just a bandmate, he was more like a brother to me. As one of the original members of the Time, Bean was a consummate musician. All he ever wanted to do was play and talk music. Even after our concerts, he would find a local pub, get on stage, and Jam with the house band. I’m certain he’s up in heaven now with Prince assembling an All-Star lineup of some of the baddest musicians to ever do it. Bean will forever be missed.” “With a heavy heart my dear friend Jellybean passed away a couple of hours ago. We are devastated by this news,” Sheila E., his longtime friend and collaborator wrote on social media on Friday. In her post, she said she first met Johnson in 1981 or 1982 while on tour with Prince. She added, “He was a kind human being, extremely talented and funny. He had a great sense of humor and was an awesome guitar player. Yesterday was your birthday, I forgot to call you and I’m so sorry. I loveu Bean. Rest in peace and power.” Jellybean Johnson was born Garry George Johnson in Chicago on Nov. 19, 1956. His family moved to Minneapolis when he was age 13. There, his mother bought him his first drum kit and he also taught himself to play guitar. He soon befriended others in his North Minneapolis neighborhood who shared his love of music, including Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Morris Day, and Prince. “We would have this huge festival in the summertime and all the rival bands and neighboring bands would come and play in front of thousands of people,” Johnson told Fox 9 in 2021. “So we cut our teeth doing that as youngsters.” Editor’s picks After Prince scored his first record deal with Warner Bros. at age 18, he recruited his friends, which included Johnson, and appointed him the drummer for the Prince-created band the Time. Several of the Time members came from the already existing funk band Flyte Tyme, which included Johnson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Anton Johnson, David Eiland, and Monte Moir. Prince expanded the Time to include Day and Jerome Benton, replacing the band’s original singer, Alexander O’Neal. “Prince told Morris, ‘You go back and get Jellybean and we’ll do the band and you’re gonna sing,’” Jellybean told Fox. “And Morris was like, ‘I don’t want to sing, I want to play the drums.’ And he was like, ‘No, I’ll teach you.’” Their musical approach defined the Minneapolis Sound. The funk-rock and R&B style that blended components of new wave and synth-pop into the mix ruled the Eighties charts and continues to heavily influence pop music today. The Time featured prominently in Prince’s 1984 blockbuster Purple Rain. However, there was tension brewing before the movie was released, with Jam, Lewis, and Moir’s departure before Purple Rain filming commenced. And after three albums, which primarily featured Day and Prince’s work, the Time broke up shortly thereafter. After the Time split up, Johnson joined the short-lived Prince-affiliated the Family, which released a self-titled album in 1985 before dissolving. Johnson then turned to producing, songwriting, and serving as a session musician, re-teaming with Jam and Tems at Flyte Tyme Productions on a number of projects. Among his work with Jams and Tems, he co-wrote and played on his former Flyte Tyme bandmate O’Neal’s 1987 “Criticize” single, co-produced songs on New Edition’s 1988 album Heart Break, and produced Janet Jackson’s “Black Cat” from her fourth studio album, 1989’s Rhythm Nation 1814. Related Content In 1990, the Time’s original seven members reunited for Graffiti Bridge and the Time album Pandemonium. Johnson continued to produce and work as a session musician, as well as hit the road with Day and the Time. From 2003 to 2012, he also toured as a guitarist with Chicago bluesman Ronnie Baker Brooks. Trending Stories In 2021 at age 64, Johnson released his long-gestating debut album, Get Experienced, under the name Jellybean Johnson Experience, which features his guitar work. He completed it during the Covid pandemic shutdown.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jellybean-johnson-the-time-prince-dead-obituary-1235471010/