Cynthia Johnson (born April 22, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the band Lipps Inc. with the worldwide smash hit "

Funkytown "Funkytown" is a song by American disco-funk group Lipps Inc., written and produced by Steven Greenberg and released by Casablanca Records in March 1980 as the second single from the group's debut studio album, '' Mouth to Mouth'' (1979). T ...

Musical career

Beginnings

Prior to becoming the lead singer of Lipps Inc., Johnson had become well-known locally for winning the 1976 Miss Black Minnesota, USA pageant, and for being the lead vocalist of the well-known

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

band Flyte Tyme for seven years. Being also an accomplished saxophone player, Johnson utilized her saxophone talents in Flyte Tyme, and she also wrote many of their songs. Johnson also co-wrote some songs with band members

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

, today a multi-

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning songwriting and producing team. Johnson completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, Morris in 1978, and continued to perform with Flyte Tyme for a brief time. Shortly after she left Flyte Tyme, the band evolved into The Time, a side project of Prince.

Lipps Inc.

Johnson was the lead singer of the popular Minneapolis-based band Lipps Inc., best known for its 1980 song "

". The song hit No. 1 in 28 countries, sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, and earned a place in the "One-Hit Wonders" section of the Rock & Roll Museum in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. Other singles include "Designer Music" and "Rock It", but the group never matched the success of "Funkytown", which continues to influence popular culture. The group received several awards, among them three ''Billboard'' Music Awards and "Soul Record of the Year" by the AMOA association. Johnson left the band after the group's third album '' Designer Music'' was released.

Late 1980s to present

Johnson has continued her musical career and remains active as a member of the three-time

-winning gospel group Sounds of Blackness, as a musician on albums by

Maceo Parker Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of ...

and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, on labels such as

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

, and on projects of Grammy-winning producers

. She also has worked as a jingle singer on commercials for products from 3M, Volkswagen, Nissan, Target, FedEx, Ford and McDonald's. She has also sung for U.S. presidents. Johnson was the host of the first episode of the FunkyTown TV series, produced by the Minneapolis-based production company, Megabien Entertainment.

Solo career

In addition to working with others, Johnson continues her career as a solo artist. Her debut album, '' All That I Am'', was released on December 15, 2013, on the Megabien Music label.

Discography

Solo albums and lead vocalist

* 1979: '' Mouth to Mouth'' – Lipps, Inc. – Lead Vocals * 1980: '' Pucker Up'' – Lipps, Inc. – Lead Vocals * 1981: '' Designer Music'' – Lipps, Inc. – Lead Vocals, songwriter * 1992: ''Funkyworld'' – Lipps, Inc. – Lead Vocals * 2003: ''

'' – Lipps, Inc. – Lead Vocals, songwriter, composer * 2013: '' All That I Am'' – Main Vocals, songwriter, producer

Additional appearances

* 1978: ''A Touch on the Rainy Side'' –

Jesse Winchester James Ridout "Jesse" Winchester Jr. (May 17, 1944 – April 11, 2014) was an American-Canadian musician and songwriter. He was born and raised in the southern United States. Opposed to the Vietnam War, he moved to Canada in 1967 to avoid ...

– Choir/Chorus * 1980: ''Billboard Top Dance Hits: 1980'' – Saxophone, Vocals * 1987: ''Kiss Serious'' –

Chico DeBarge Jonathan Arthur "Chico" DeBarge (born June 23, 1966) is an American R&B singer and musician. DeBarge was formally a member of the DeBarge family musical group DeBarge. As a solo artist, he scored a 1986 US Top Forty hit with the song "Talk to ...

– backing vocals * 1988: ''Just Like That'' – Brownmark – backing vocals * 1988: ''Personal & Attention'' –

Stacy Lattisaw Stacy Lattisaw Jackson (née Lattisaw; born November 25, 1966) is an American R&B singer from Washington, D.C., United States. Career When she was 11 years old, singer/songwriter Frederick Knight attempted to sign Lattisaw to his production ...

– backing vocals * 1988: '' When the Lights Go Out'' –

Pia Zadora Pia Zadora (born Pia Alfreda Schipani; May 4, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She debuted as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film ''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' (1964). She came to national attention i ...

– backing vocals * 1988: ''Carry On, Vol. 2'' – Ipso Facto – Vocals * 1988: ''Omaiyo'' – Robin Adnan Anders – Vocals * 1990: '' I Am'' – Elisa Fiorillo – backing vocals * 1990: ''The Brojos'' – The Brojos – Rap, backing vocals * 1991: ''Here It Is'' – Jevetta Steele – backing vocals * 1991: ''Imperial Bells of China'' – Hubei Song & Dance Ensemble – Photography * 1994: ''African-American Music in Minnesota'' – Vocals * 1995: ''It Must Be Christmas'' – Debbie Duncan – Choir/Chorus, Vocals * 1996: ''Best of the Singer's Voice'' – Performer, Primary Artist * 1996: ''Greatest Hits'' – Georgia Mass Choir – Choir/Chorus * 1998: '' Lonnie Hunter & The Voices of St. Mark'' – Lonnie Hunter – Alto Vocals * 1998: ''Lost in the Blues'' – Doug Maynard – backing vocals * 1998: ''River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi'' – Producer * 1999: '' Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions'' – Shannon Curfman – backing vocals * 1999: ''Billboard Top Dance Hits: 1976–1980'' – Saxophone, Vocals * 2002: ''Solid Gold Funk'' – Vocals * 2002: ''Soul Symphony'' – Sounds of Blackness – Alto Vocals * 2003: ''Angels on the Freeway'' – Kevin Bowe – Vocals * 2003: ''Cross N Water'' – Ford – Vocals, backing vocals * 2003: ''David Young'' – David Young – backing vocals * 2003: '' Made by Maceo'' –

– backing vocals * 2003: ''Sweet Talk'' – Reneé Austin – backing vocals * 2004: ''Deliverance'' – Shane Henry – backing vocals * 2005: ''In the Fellowship'' – Patrick Lundy – Tenor Vocals * 2005: ''Right About Love'' – Reneé Austin – Vocal Harmony, backing vocals * 2005: ''School's In!'' –

– Vocals, backing vocals * 2005: ''Unity'' – Sounds of Blackness – Alto Vocals, Primary Artist, Vocals * 2006: ''I'll Play All Night Long'' – John McAndrew – backing vocals * 2006: ''Overflow'' – Kevin Davidson – Banjo * 2007: ''Between Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' – Mick Sterling – Main Personnel, Vocals, backing vocals * 2007: ''Kings and Queens: Message from the Movement'' – Sounds of Blackness – Alto Vocals * 2007: ''The One Who's Leavin – Doug Spartz – backing vocals * 2010: ''Chinese Whispers'' – Alison Scott – backing vocals * 2010: ''Life's a Party: the Best of In Between'' – Primary Artist * 2011: ''Hope One Mile'' – G.B. Leighton – Vocal Harmony * 2011: ''Sounds of Blackness'' – Sounds of Blackness – Alto Vocals, Group Member, Vocals * 2012: ''Natchez Trace'' – Kevin Bowe – Vocal Harmony * 2012: "Nothing But a Breeze" / "A Touch on the Rainy Side" – Jesse Winchester –Choir/Chorus * 2013: ''He's Faithful'' – James Pullin & Remnant – Soprano vocals * 2013: ''Purple Snow, Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound'' – Lead Vocals, Songwriter (1970s recording on compilation)

Filmography

* Live performance "Higher Ground" with ABC Youth Choir, Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, 2001 * ''Funkytown'', TV series, 2013 * ''Les Annees Bonheur'', French TV show, 2014

Awards and recognitions

* Miss Black Minnesota USA, 1976 * Induction into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame as a member of Lipps Inc * Recipient of Platinum in the US, Double Platinum in Canada, Gold in France and Germany, Silver in the UK, among others, as the lead singer on "Funkytown" * Three ''Billboard'' Music Awards, 1980 * Three-time Grammy Award Winner as a member of Sounds of Blackness, 1991, 1993 and 1998

References

External links

*
Cynthia Johnson is credited as a saxophonist on this compilation (containing "Funkytown")

* * Nicole Crowder, ttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2015/02/20/funkytown-digging-on-the-rise-of-soul-music-in-1980s-minneapolis/ "Funkytown: Digging on the rise of soul music in 1980s Minneapolis" ''Washington Post'', February 20, 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Cynthia 1956 births Living people 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers African-American rock singers African-American songwriters American dance musicians American disco singers American funk singers American television personalities American women pop singers American women singer-songwriters American women television personalities Musicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota Singer-songwriters from Minnesota University of Minnesota Morris alumni