Jonathan "Johnny" Kemp (August 2, 1959 – April 16, 2015) was a Bahamian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a songwriter in late 1979 and is perhaps best known for his solo work, including his single " Just Got Paid" (1988), which was nominated for a

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 ...

for Best R&B Song in 1989.

Biography

Early life and career

Kemp began singing in nightclubs in the Bahamas at age 13. He moved to

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, New York in 1979 with the band Kinky Fox. In the early 1980s, Kemp became a successful session musician and songwriter, singing backup for the B. B. & Q. Band on their 1982 album ''All Night Long'' (on which he co-wrote several tracks) and for

Change Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of t ...

on their 1982 album '' Sharing Your Love'' (on which he co-wrote "Take You To Heaven"). He also appeared on the obscure Network LP ''I Need You'' in 1984, where he had lead vocals on the song "Cover Girl", later re-recorded for his self-titled debut solo album.

Solo career

Kemp landed a solo recording contract with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

and released his eponymous debut album in 1986. It charted in the U.S. on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Top Black Albums chart, reaching No. 36 on June 28 of that year. He scored a minor

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

from the album with "Just Another Lover" (co-written by Kashif), which peaked at No. 14 ''Billboards

Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart on June 21, 1986 and hit the Hot Dance/Disco charts, reaching No. 26 in Club Play and No. 35 in 12 Inch Singles Sales that same month. Greater success came the following year with the release of his '' Secrets of Flying'' (1987) album, which contained a pair of Top 5 hits on ''Billboard''′s Hot Black Singles chart, "Dancin' with Myself" and " Just Got Paid", the latter hitting No. 1. "Just Got Paid" hit No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the summer of 1988, and sold over a million singles in the United States. It topped the

Hot Dance Music/Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

and provided his only UK Singles Chart entry, peaking at No. 68 in August 1988. His only other Hot 100 entry was "Birthday Suit", a tune from the soundtrack to the movie, ''

Sing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

'' (1989), which climbed to No. 36 in 1989.

Later career

Kemp appeared on

Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, producer and songwriter. An early figure in the new jack swing musical movement, he is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her," "Make It Last Forever (song), Make It Last For ...

's DVD release, '' Sweat Hotel Live'' (2007), which featured live performances by Sweat in a sort of reunion with other R&B/

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

era pioneers of the late 1980s, including

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B and hip-hop fusion genre, new jack swing. Musical artists who utilized Riley's production and songwri ...

. Kemp appeared on the final track, an "all-star finale" rendition of "Just Got Paid", originally recorded at a February 2006 concert in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, Georgia. Incidentally, Sweat had initially passed on the

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

track that would eventually become "Just Got Paid", when it was first offered to him in the mid-1980s. Kemp listened to it, added his own

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

to the

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

, and "Just Got Paid" was born. Kemp also performed a version of the

Reading Rainbow ''Reading Rainbow'' is an American educational children's television series that originally aired on PBS and afterward PBS Kids from July 11, 1983 to November 10, 2006, with reruns continuing to air until August 28, 2009. 155 30-minute episodes ...

theme song (and other songs for that series) that was broadcast on PBS for a few years between the Tina Fabrique and Chaka Khan versions. Kemp was the featured performer (singing "Just Got Paid") at the NJS4E event in New York City, on September 8, 2007. As the name implied, the show celebrated and commemorated 20 years of new jack swing and took place at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar. In the 90s Johnny Kemp and Sherry Goffin Kondor, the daughter of

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

were the lead singers for the popular children's cover band Sugar Beats. The Sugar Beats featured The Broadway Kids members and

Les Miserables (musical) LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental ...

stars Crysta Macalush Winton and Erin Rakow. Former Dream Street member and Summerland (TV series) star Jesse McCartney was a member of the Sugar Beats. After releasing "80s Greaties" the Sugar Beats broke up in 2009.

Death

Kemp was found dead on April 16, 2015, off the coast of

Montego Bay Montego Bay () is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth most populous urban area in the country, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Portmore ...

, according to Jamaican reports. He was 55 years old. Kemp had been a passenger on a cruise ship that had docked in Montego Bay. Other cruise ship passengers had seen him earlier that day in the area. Based on an investigation, the St James Police believed he was walking on some rocks, lost his balance, fell, hit his head, and then drowned. He was scheduled to be on the Tom Joyner Foundation-hosted annual ''Fantastic Voyage'' cruise as a performer when his body was found; reports state he did not board the ship. He left behind a wife, Deirdre Fisher-Kemp, and their two sons, one of whom, Jared Kemp, is an actor.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

* ''Just Got Paid'' (2004)

Singles

References

External links

* *
Interview from the NJS4E Event (YouTube)

NJS4E Interview- Part II (YouTube)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemp, Johnny 1959 births 2015 deaths Bahamian singers Bahamian emigrants to the United States Musicians from New York (state) Entertainers from Nassau, Bahamas Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Jamaica Columbia Records artists New jack swing musicians