Crooner Johnny Gill is one of the few male singers who’s found as much success as a solo artist as he did in a platinum selling group.
Maybe the most amazing thing about it is that New Edition was not a group he started out in but he’s just as well known as a member as he is on his own. Not to mention Gill has been part of two other supergroups, LSG, with the late Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat and Heads of State with Ralph Tresvant and Bobby Brown.
Gill’s latest solo CD, Game Changer is on sale now. On the new recording, he works with both Babyface and New Edition.
“You know I couldn’t leave them out, or they couldn’t leave me out,” Gill laughs. “I just wanted to make great songs and not trying to compete with anybody. I just wanted to do what I do and stay in my lane. There’s a lane for just great music and I wanted to make sure our voices continued to be heard.”
Gill says there were 16 years in between his last 2 albums. Amazingly, he’s been in the music business for 31 years. He was discovered by fellow D.C. native Stacy Lattisaw and the two made some great duets together including their #1 hit “Where Do We Go From Here.”
Though urban legend has it that Gill was brought in to replace Bobby Brown, he was actually brought into replace Tresvant, who wanted to pursue a solo career. Though Ralph did release one solo album, the two ultimately shared leads on some of New Edition’s classic songs including “Can You Stand The Rain.”
“During that process of recording we just bonded,” says Gill. “That’s my right-hand man and we would up making some great music.”
Gill’s latest CD Game Changer is in stores now.
