When we hear the name, James Brown, we automatically start dancing, while trying to imitate his singing. James Brown is the most sampled artists on the planet, and he was loved by so many. Roosevelt Johnson is one of those individuals. Mr. Johnson toured around the world with Mr. Brown and his band and loved every moment. Let's talk with Roosevelt.
GrinderZZ: What an honor, and a pleasure to meet you sir. Welcome to the GrinderZZ studio. Please tell my audience a little about yourself.
Roosevelt: My name is Roosevelt RJ Johnson. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 25, 1952. I was the youngest of seven children, five boys and two girls. Four of the boys and one of the girls have passed on, so it’s just me and my sister left. My sister, Dorothy, is living here in Cleveland, also.
GrinderZZ: At what age did you say to yourself, you wanted to be involved in the entertainment industry?
Roosevelt: I only wanted to be a disc jockey, like we had on our local radio station, here in Cleveland, WJMO. I thought those guys were the greatest. So, when I met one and hooked up with him, I decided I wanted to become a DJ, just like him and nothing more. I thought that was the greatest job in the world. Boy was I in for surprise. I was about 12 or 13, when I started meeting stars from that era, like Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Gladys Knight and the Pips and the Temptations. I really got star struck and seeing these guys hanging out with all these beautiful girls and stuff, I wanted to be like them, instead of like the DJs who were playing their records. That made more sense to me, but I never wanted to be on stage singing and dancing, so I had to try to figure that out how I could get the girls, like Smokey and Marvin, if I couldn’t sing and perform like them. Then I figured it out, if you hang out with them they’ll come to you, anyway. So, that’s what did it; pretty girls got my attention and I got theirs and there you have it. I weaseled my way into Show Business.
GrinderZZ: How did you first link up with, The Godfather of Soul? Roosevelt: I, first, met Mr. Brown when the DJs, at the radio station, we’re going to pick him up, at the airport, in Cleveland. I went along with them, for the ride, not knowing that’s what they were going to do. As soon as we met, we hit it off. I was an amenable kid and he appreciated that. The entire story is in my book Holding the Coat because that was the first job he gave me; holding his coat. He paid me $40 for doing that and I thought I was rich. I was about 14 or 15, at the time, and I bugged him until he gave me a job, after I got out of school and the rest is history. From that moment on our relationship blossomed until the day he passed away.
GrinderZZ: You're quite the singer, and I've watched dozens of video's of you performing with Mr. Brown on stage. What was the reaction from your family when you told them you were now a part of James Brown's band?
Roosevelt: The reaction from my son and my daughter and their mom and a lot of my relatives was pretty strange. I guess they never expected me to do the things that I was doing. I had tried to tell him about my past, in the music business, and I only had a few photos to show any reference to it. So, when it finally took off again, with Mr. Brown, full time, they were really shocked that I had this close relationship with him and we had resumed everything like nothing ever happened; which nothing ever happened, except I got a little older and had kids. He Got Disco came out and they kind of slow things down for him, but he always made sure we stayed in touch and he always sent me a few dollars to do things with Zell. My kids knew and my family knew that I had a friend in James Brown.
GrinderZZ: You've traveled around the world with Mr. Brown, and my question is...... what's the craziest thing a fan try to do to get close to you guys and even, Mr. Brown? Roosevelt: The craziest thing anyone did to get close to Mr. Brown, I would say, is when we were at the Peabody Hotel, in Memphis, Tennessee, outside of the front entrance and a young white girl, I say, she was like 18 or 19 years old, walked up to him and just grabbed his butt cheeks and said she had to do that. It shocked him so bad that he didn’t even know what to say. He couldn’t do anything but laugh, as we all did, but she had both hands full of his butt cheeks. That was crazy.
GrinderZZ: Speaking with James son Daryl, he said his father always wanted everyone to order and eat what he ate when dining out. Did you ever go through that with him? Roosevelt: Normally, when we went out to eat I ate what I wanted, because a lot of things he ate, I did not eat; such as seafood. I didn’t do lobster, I didn’t do shrimp and I didn’t do fish, so I, basically, ate whatever I wanted, on the menu. I never had to eat the same thing that he ate. There were times when he would eat what I would eat. If I wanted ribs maybe he would order some, cause he hadn’t had any, in a while. But, no one was ever made to eat the same thing that he ate. I never encountered that, at all. Maybe, they did it because they thought it was the proper thing to do, but I ordered what I wanted, all the time.
GrinderZZ: The passing of Mr. Brown really shook up the world. Since his passing, have you, or are you still performing?
Roosevelt: After his passing, in 2014, I put his band back together, with the majority of the members I could collect and the singers, the Bitter Sweet. We performed in France. We did one hell of a tour. Then, we went to Japan. Then, we went back to Japan, for a New Year’s Eve gig and we haven’t worked since. I don’t know exactly why we can’t get booked, but we are still willing to perform, anywhere in the world. If they want to see the real James Brown Band and RJ, I’m ready, the band is ready, the singers are ready. Tell the promoters to get ready, cause we do want to work, any and everywhere. Just get in touch with me. It’s very easy to do.
GrinderZZ: What advice could you give to someone who might be thinking about a career in singing?
Roosevelt: My advice to someone thinking about getting into a career and singing, never record a song you can’t play for your mother or your grandmother. It’s that simple.
GrinderZZ: How can fans reach out to you?
Roosevelt: Fans can reach out to me via email rjsoulmusik@gmail.com. For booking, call 216-851-8444 and Lynard McCoy will take care of you.
GrinderZZ: Do you have any last words/requests for us? Roosevelt: Fans can reach out to me via email rjsoulmusik@gmail.com. For booking, call 216-851-8444 and Lynard McCoy will take care of you. If you’d like a sneak preview of what it is that we do, you can always find us on YouTube. If you search RJ and the James Brown band, everyone on stage, with me, was hired by Mr. Brown. These are his actual band members who he had, at the time of his passing, including the Bittersweet background singers. So, we kind of know what we’re doing, because we did it with him and I’m going to do it, as long as I can. That’s why I try to stay healthy and take good care of myself, to make sure if I get on that stage doing James Brown’s music and singing his songs, I’m able to do it with dignity and pride and I hope I see you all soon, in Some City, somewhere.
Thank you again Mr. Roosevelt for stopping by the studio. God Bless you. Be safe.