New Jack Swing R&B singer Johnny Gill Jr. was born on May 22, 1966, in Washington, DC. to Johnny Gill Sr., a Baptist minister, and Annie Mae Gill. He began singing at the age of five in church and his familyโs gospel ensemble, Little Johnny, and โWings of Faithโ with his brothers, including Bobby, Jeff, and Randy Gill, who later became a solo recording artist and a member of the group II D Extreme. Gillโs early education began in 1972 at Kimball Elementary School in Southeast Washington where he attended Sousa Junior High. However, in 1980 his strong interest in music led him to study at DCโs Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Because of his performance schedule and demands, his high school academic studies were completed in 1984 by professional tutors. Gill was the sixth and final member of the popular R&B/pop group New Edition.
Gillโs solo career began in 1983 when he released his first Top 30 R&B single, โSuper Love.โ Two years later in 1985, he released the solo album Chemistry. In 1988, he joined New Edition, replacing Bobby Brown. At the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Gill received nominations for โBest R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocalโ for the single, โIf It Isnโt Love.โ The following year, 1989, Gill joined R&B singer Stacey Lattisaw on the single โWhere Do We Go from Here.โ It peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart.
In 1990 at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards, Gill was once again nominated for โBest R&B Vocal Performance, Maleโ for the album Johnny Gill. The album contained several hit songs such as โMy My Myโ that peaked at no. 30 on Billboardโs Adult Contemporary chart and remained there for 9 weeks; โWrap My Body Tightโ peaked at no. 57 and remained steady for 3 weeks that year. One of the singles from the album, โRub You the Right Way,โ reached no. 3 on Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song โMy My Myโ dominated the US and R&B charts and was among the Top 10 on the โBillboard Hot 100 chart. The album reached the top spot on the โUS Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and was among the Top 10 on the โUS Billboard 200โ chart. It sold a million copies.
Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill, 2019 (Shutterstock)
In 1993, Gill released โProvocative,โ and three years later, in 1996, he has reunited with the New Edition recording Home Again Together. That same year, he released Letโs Get the Mood Right with the single โItโs Your Bodyโ that reached no. 19 R&B and no. 45 Billboard Hot 100. In 1997, united with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat, thus forming the ensemble supergroup LSG.
In 1998, the hit โCuriousโ peaked at no. 23 UK and no. 28 R&B. In 2006, his son, Isiah Gill, was born and in 2011, Gill released the album Still Winning. In 2019, Johnny Gill received the Soul Tracks Readersโ Choice Awards for the Album of the Year for Game Changer II.
