Donald William "Bob" Johnston (May 14, 1932 – August 14, 2015) was an American record producer, best known for his work with

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, and

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...

Early life and career

Johnston was born into a professional musical family. His grandmother, Mamie Jo Adams, was a songwriter, as was his mother Diane Johnston. Diane wrote songs for

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

in the 1950s and scored a hit in 1976 when

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American country music, Western swing music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, in 1970, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, released over 20 albums, and has charted more t ...

covered her 1950 demo "Miles and Miles of Texas". After serving in the U.S. Navy, Johnston returned to

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, where he and his mother collaborated on songwriting for

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

artist Mac Curtis and others. From 1956 to 1961, Johnston recorded a few rockabilly singles under the name Don Johnston. He married songwriter Joy Byers with whom he began to collaborate. In later years, Johnston claimed that songs still credited to his wife Joy Byers were actually co-written, or solely written by himself. He has cited old "contractual reasons" for this situation. The songs in question include Timi Yuro's 1962 hit "What's A Matter Baby", plus at least 16 songs for

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

's films between 1964 and 1968, including " It Hurts Me", " Let Yourself Go", and "Stop, Look and Listen". Two songs credited to Byers, the aforementioned "Stop, Look and Listen" and "Yeah, She's Evil!" were recorded by

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band formed in 1947 and continuing until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

(the latter song was titled " The Meanest Girl in Town" when Presley recorded it). Presley recorded "The Meanest Girl in Town" on June 10, 1964, while Bill Haley recorded his version a week later, on June 16, 1964. By 1964, he had moved into production work at

Kapp Records Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...

in New York, freelance arranging for

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In its early years, Dot sp ...

, and signed as a songwriter to

music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers began to play a role in the management of the intellectu ...

Hill and Range.

Columbia Records: Dylan, Cash, and Cohen

Johnston began working for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in New York, where he began producing

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for Pop music, pop and Country music, country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and b ...

and the Pozo-Seco Singers. In 1965 he was successful in gaining the assignment to produce

, followed by

, Flatt & Scruggs, and then

. His style of production varied from a 'documentary' approach capturing a fleeting moment (exemplified by Dylan's albums and Cash's live albums) to providing subtle arrangements with strings, background vocals and seasoned session musicians (exemplified by Cohen's studio albums). After a couple of years in New York, Johnston became head of Columbia in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, where he had known many of the

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

s, such as

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, and was a pioneering contribution to Southern rock and progressive country. He was ...

, for years. He produced three of Cohen's albums, toured with him and also composed music to the Cohen lyric "Come Spend the Morning", recorded by both

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

and Engelbert Humperdinck. At the beginning of " To Be Alone with You" on '' Nashville Skyline'', Bob Dylan asks Johnston "Is it rolling, Bob?"

Independent producer

Dissatisfied with his

salary A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. ...

earnings as a Columbia staff producer, particularly after several hit albums which earned him no

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...

, Johnston became an independent producer, most successfully with

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th centu ...

on '' Fog on the Tyne'', which topped the British album chart in 1972. In 1972, he toured with Leonard Cohen as a keyboard player, and produced the resulting live album '' Live Songs''. In 1978, he produced

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...

's '' Give Thankx'' album, featuring "Bongo Man". In 1979, Johnston produced an album with the San Francisco band Reggae Jackson, titled ''Smash Hits'' that featured Jimmy Foot, Cheryl Lynn, Kenneth Nash, and Wayne Bidgell (the low voice heard on Jimmy Cliff's "Bongo Man" track). In 1985, Johnston produced an album ''Walking In The Shadow'' by the San Francisco band The Rhyth-O-Matics, for engineer Fred Catero's newly formed Catero label. Billboard magazine's "Pop Pick of The Week", the album's release was plagued with distribution difficulties. During a period of financial difficulty, when he was under scrutiny from the

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

, Johnston moved to

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, Texas, and did no record production for some time. He eventually returned with work on

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

's 1992 album '' The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'' (Nelson had his own financial difficulties at the time). In the mid 1990s, Johnston produced

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

' album '' Go Cat Go!'' which featured numerous guest stars including

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

and

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

, as well as unreleased recordings of Perkins' "

Blue Suede Shoes "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard (music), standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues ...

" by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. This album's release was delayed until 1996. Towards the end of his life Johnston returned to working with fresh talent including singer-songwriters Natalie Pinkis (USA), Eron Falbo (Brazil), and indie rock band Friday's Child (USA). Falbo's album ''73'' was released in 2013. The final project Johnston worked on was ''Evolution: Live at the Saxon Pub'' which he co-produced for Austin band Hector Ward and The Big Time in 2015, which was released in 2016.

Death

Johnston was in a memory facility and a hospice in Nashville for the last week of his life before dying on August 14, 2015. His wife Joy Johnston (née Byers) died in May 2017.

Selective discography as producer

*Patti Page: " Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" US #8 (1965), ''Patti Page Sings America's Favorite Hymns'' (1966) *Bob Dylan: ''

Highway 61 Revisited ''Highway 61 Revisited'' is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records. Dylan continued the musical approach of his previous album ''Bringing It All Back Home'' (1965), usi ...

'' (with the exception of "

Like a Rolling Stone "Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 20, 1965, by Columbia Records. Its confrontational lyrics originated in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhauste ...

") (1965), ''

Blonde on Blonde ''Blonde on Blonde'' is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musici ...

'' (1966), '' John Wesley Harding'' (1967), '' Nashville Skyline'' (1969), ''

Self Portrait Self-portraits are Portrait painting, portraits artists make of themselves. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century ...

'' (1970), '' New Morning'' (1970) *Simon & Garfunkel: ''

Sounds of Silence ''Sounds of Silence'' is the second studio album by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, released on January 17, 1966. The album's title is a slight modification of the title of the duo's first major hit, " The Sound of Silence", which ...

'' (1966), ''

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme ''Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme'' is the third studio album by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album was released on October 24, 1966, in the United States by Columbia Records. Following the succ ...

'' (1966) *

Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American country and western singer and songwriter. He was one of the most popular and successful singers of his genre for most o ...

: '' Tonight Carmen'' (1967), ''Christmas with Marty Robbins'' (1967), ''

By the time I get to Phoenix "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is a song written by Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965, it was reinterpreted by American country music singer Glen Campbell on his album of the same name. Released on Capitol Records in 1 ...

'' (1968), ''I Walk Alone'' (1968), ''It's A Sin'' (1969), ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' (1971), ''No Signs of Loneliness Here'' (1975) * Flatt and Scruggs: ''Changin' Times'' (1967), ''The Story of Bonnie and Clyde'' (1968), '' Nashville Airplane'' (1968), ''Final Fling'' (1969), ''Flatt Out'' (

Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass (music), bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned ...

solo LP, 1970), ''Nashville's Rock'' (

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-finge ...

solo LP, 1970) *Johnny Cash: ''

At Folsom Prison ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison'' is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records on May 6, 1968. It comprises recordings of performances by Cash and his band at Folsom State Prison, California, on J ...

'' (1968); ''

The Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionally ...

'' (1969); ''

At San Quentin ''Johnny Cash at San Quentin'' is the 31st overall album and second live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, recorded live at San Quentin State Prison on February 24, 1969, and released on June 16 of that same year. The concert was f ...

'' (1969); '' Hello, I'm Johnny Cash'' (1970); ''

The Johnny Cash Show ''The Johnny Cash Show'' is an American television music variety show that was hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969, to March 31, 1971, on American Broadcasting Company, ABC; it was taped at the Ryman A ...

'' (1970); ''

I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After moderate chart success, it soon became Cash's first #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' country chart, and eventually crossed over to the pop charts, reaching #19 on the Bil ...

'' (1970); '' Little Fauss and Big Halsy'' (1971) *

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...

: '' The Times They Are A-Changin''' (1968) *Leonard Cohen: '' Songs from a Room'' (1969), '' Songs of Love and Hate'' (1971), '' Live Songs'' (1973) *

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

: '' Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde'' (1969) * Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks: ''Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks'' (aka ''Original Recordings'')(1969) *Lindisfarne: '' Fog on the Tyne'' (1972), '' Dingly Dell'' (1972) * Esther Ofarim: ''Esther Ofarim'' (1972), He is also credited as the composer of "You're always looking for the rainbow" on this album. * Graham Bell: ''Graham Bell'' (1972) * Michael Murphey: '' Geronimo's Cadillac'' (1973), '' Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir'' (1973), '' Michael Murphey'' (1973), '' Blue Sky - Night Thunder'' (1975), '' Swans Against the Sun'' (1976) *

Hoyt Axton Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voic ...

: ''Less Than the Song'' (1973), ''Road Songs'' (1977) *

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...

: '' Rainbow Race'' (1973), ''Link in the Chain'' (1996) *

Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...

: '' Attempted Mustache'' (1973) * Tracy Nelson: '' Tracy Nelson'' (1974), '' Sweet Soul Music'' (1975) *

New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. The band is sometimes referred to ...

: ''

Oh, What a Mighty Time ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' is an album by the country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage. Their sixth studio album and their seventh album overall, it was released by Columbia Records in 1975. ''Oh, What a Mighty Time'' was produced by Bo ...

'' (1975), '' New Riders'' (1976), '' Who Are Those Guys?'' (1977) *

Alvin Lee Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, who was best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Early life Lee was ...

: ''Rocket Fuel'' (1978) *

: '' Give Thankx'' (1978) *

Joe Ely Joe Ely (; born February 9, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was "one of the main movers" of Austin, Texas' progressive country scene in the 1970s and '80s. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce ...

: ''Down on the Drag'' (1979) *

John Mayall John Brumwell Mayall (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and Rock music, rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of ...

: ''Bottom Line'' (1979) *

The Waterboys The Waterboys are a rock band formed in 1983 by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott (Scottish musician), Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Britain and Ireland, with Scott re ...

: '' Fisherman's Blues'' (1988) (on 2013 box set Johnston produced 15 tracks) *

: '' The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?'' (1992) *

: '' Go Cat Go!'' (1996) * Eron Falbo: ''73'' (2013) *Hector Ward and The Big Time: ''Evolution: Live at the Saxon Pub'' (2016)

References

External links

Bob Johnston official website
*

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Bob 1932 births 2015 deaths Record producers from Texas Songwriters from Texas Johnny Cash Leonard Cohen Bob Dylan People from Fort Worth, Texas Simon & Garfunkel 20th-century Canadian male musicians People from Hillsboro, Texas Majestic Records artists