Pioneer of Minneapolis Sound Jellybean Johnson Dies at 69.

1 hour ago7 min read

The music world felt a profound, collective loss with the passing of Jellybean Johnson at 69, a cornerstone of the Minneapolis Sound whose rhythmic genius as the powerhouse drummer for The Time and his deft production work for icons like Janet Jackson and New Edition carved an indelible groove into the soul of 80s and 90s pop and funk. To understand Johnson is to understand the very ecosystem of that era's music, a scene that pulsed from a single, unassuming city and rewired the global soundscape.He wasn't just a session player; he was a foundational element in Prince's sprawling artistic universe, part of the formidable collective that included Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. His work with The Time was pure, unadulterated funk theater—listen to the crisp, snapping backbeat on 'Jungle Love' or the relentless drive of 'The Bird,' and you hear a drummer who understood that the pocket wasn't just a place, it was a narrative.The groove told the story of cool, of swagger, of a party that never had to end. When the famed 'Jam and Lewis' production duo was fired from a Prince tour and subsequently banned from his studio, it was a moment of creative fission that would ripple across the industry, and Johnson was right there in that crucible.His contributions extended beyond the kit into the producer's chair, where his sensibilities helped shape the nascent sounds of New Edition as they transitioned from bubblegum R&B to the more mature, new jack swing of their 'Heart Break' album, and he lent his magic to Janet Jackson's revolutionary 'Control' era, an album that fundamentally declared artistic independence and became a blueprint for modern pop. Johnson's legacy is the legacy of the Minneapolis Sound itself—a hybrid, innovative, and impossibly cool fusion of funk, rock, synth-pop, and R&B that proved regional scenes could achieve global domination. His passing is not merely the loss of a great musician, but the quieting of a beat that defined a generation, a reminder that behind every era-defining movement are the virtuosos in the rhythm section, holding it all together with style and impeccable timing.

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#Jellybean Johnson

#The Time

#Minneapolis Sound

#Prince

#drummer

#Janet Jackson

#New Edition

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