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No one sings Otis better than Johnny Soul! See you at Candlelight Jazz.
AGE: 66
HOMETOWN: Augusta
MEMBER OF: Vocalist for PlayBack "The Band"
FAVORITE CONCERT ATTENDED: Stevie Wonder at The Omni, Atlanta, early '80s. "I don't go to that many (concerts), but that was a good one for me. ... First time I ever saw him live, you know. It was nice."
FAVORITE ARTISTS: Otis Redding, The O'Jays, The Temptations, James Brown, Johnnie Taylor
MUSICAL ROOTS: Started playing bass at 18. "It was a friend of mine; he was a guitar player, and he would play the guitar and I would sing. ... And so I decided I wanted to play bass. So he started teaching me how to play the bass. ... And after I learned a few songs, that's when I went to Macon (Ga.). ... After I went to Macon, that's when I met Otis (Redding) and played some gigs with him."
FAVORITE FOOTBALL TEAMS: The Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers
TV FAVORITES: Sanford and Son, All in the Family
EMBARRASSING MOMENT: During a gospel show at Bell Auditorium, mid-'80s. "A friend of mine -- me and him put this song together. ... I stepped up to the mike and started singing my gospel song. You know (how) you ad-lib at the end of the songs? You know what I'm saying? You're going out, and you're ad-libbing a little bit? Guess what I said: 'Ooh, baby.' ... The people out there, they just started laughing. ... Somebody said, 'You should have said, 'Ooh, baby Jesus.' ''
FIRST SONG HE SANG ON STAGE: Wilson Pickett's I Found a Love
UPCOMING GIG: PlayBack "The Band" will play at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Eighth Street bulkhead at Riverwalk Augusta, as part of the Candlelight Jazz series. Admission is $6.
Comments
No one sings Otis better than Johnny Soul! See you at Candlelight Jazz.
No, this is no joke. Johnny Soul has been performing for over forty years. Someone must think he is a good performer for him to have been featured in the Augusta Chronicle and for him to play for a packed crowd at the Tavern every weekend. I would suggest that you keep your comments to yourself, JONAS, until you are featured in the newspaper or people pay their hard earned money to see you. Obviously, Playback thinks he is great. I would love to see the link to YOUR band or just post your performance schedule and I will be sure to come and critique you.Haters are never that hard to find, just look for the person who is talking about everybody else when nobody is talking about him.
Thanks PP. Yes, Johnny Soul is very deserving of this honor. He has performed tirelessly for many years. Give him his flowers and props now. He deserves it. He's very modest, but consider this man a Living Legend. He has so many stories to share. If you ever meet him, pick his brain for a bit and learn some things. He's a Real Georgia Man -- salt of the red clay hills kind of guy. Special thanks to the Augusta Chronicle for recognizing an Augusta artist truly deserving of his share of accolades. Bobby Bush was everyone's fav. But, he's Resting In Peace and Johnny Soul and Tutu D'Vyne are still here to carry on the Playback name. Johnny Soul is no joke. He's the real deal, like Holyfield. I've seen him perform at Surrey Tavern many many times. He's always GREAT. In fact, me and the wife will drive down from Athens and grab a hotel, when we get a chance, just to see Johnny, Tutu and Playback do their thing. Augusta should be proud of this band. They are so, so talented.
awesome photo
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