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Fans know Jellybean Johnson’s music as a soundtrack of an era that lives on, but at his funeral on Saturday, his family remembered the man.
Johnson, an accomplished producer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer, was the beat behind hits like “Jungle Love,” “Jerk Out” and “The Bird.” He played with Flyte Tyme starting in the early 1970s. That band would go on to form an association with Prince in 1981 to become the funk and R&B group known as The Time.
He became a cornerstone of the local music scene as a core architect of the Minneapolis Sound, a subgenre of funk that weaves elements of new wave, R&B and synth-pop.
Olivia Keogh, Johnson’s third daughter, didn’t plan to speak at Shiloh Temple in Minneapolis on Saturday. She was inspired to speak after being reminded of a favorite memory with her father — something that for her summed up his incomparably large heart and what it meant to her.
“Everyone talks about my dad being musical, which he was, but he was a great person first and foremost,” Keogh said.
Keogh’s siblings echoed her remarks. Georgia "Blues" Johnson, 19, is the music giant’s youngest. She spoke about her dad’s dedication to his family.
"One thing I will say is that I loved my Daddy to death and I know my Daddy loved me to death," Georgia said. “My Dad called me and my Mom every night to tell me he loved me no matter what, no matter where he was in the world."
SaKoree Fondren is Johnson’s nephew and lived with Johnson as a child.
“Growing up and you’re in a house with someone that is a mythical figure in a way, where you know who they are, but you don’t know who they are, it’s like, oh, you know the name, but it’s Uncle Gary,” Fondren said. “Then you look into it when you start to grow up and you’re actually able to go to shows, and you get to go and see him performance like, ‘Oh, he's actually Jellybean.’”
SaKoree’s sister, Na’eema Jakes, grew up hearing songs on the radio her uncle had been a part of making, but its magnitude never set in.
“I grew up just seeing Uncle Gary as Uncle Gary every time I saw him, he had a big smile on his face. He was a music guru,” she said. “He had the best smile. His entire kids, all of his kids have his smile.”
Jellybean Johnson grew up in Chicago, but moved to Minneapolis as a teenager, later finding his musical calling, forming bands with future stars like Prince, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. He played, quickly becoming a foundation for the Minneapolis Sound. Later in life, he founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum.
“To the Minnesota community, I think Jellybean was probably a community champion,” said Bishop Richard D. Howell, Jr. “We all can truly say without a shadow of a doubt that we all have something to be proud of.”
Johnson co-produced “Black Cat,” a 1990 Janet Jackson song. He also appeared in the film "Purple Rain” as a member of the band “The Time.”
Johnson’s daughter, Bianca Rhodes, says she will always remember her father’s performances.
"Recordings are beautiful, but live was different. Sometimes he'd go into full Jimi Hendrix mode and pedals down and making that guitar weep. And when he was finished, he'd lay it gently down like it needed to rest too."
English (US) ·