Born in Newport News, Virginia, in 1948, Johnson attended Howard University in Washington, DC, and while there, co-founded the soul group, the Unifics.
[1] Johnson continued to write songs for other artists throughout the 70s including Sparkle star Lonette McKee, Tata Vega and Deniece Williams.
In 1978 he recorded his debut solo album, Peaceful which he co-produced, as well as arranging and co-writing, for a small label, Marina, part-owned by former singer, Lloyd Price.
The lead single from the album, "I'm Back for More", a duet with Jean Carn,[3] reached #26 on the R&B chart, whilst the follow-up, "I've Got My Second Wind", hit #58, both in 1980.
Around this time, Johnson was writing, arranging and also playing keyboards on recording sessions, including for the Willie Lester-Rodney Brown production team that released several successful disco/soul albums on Prelude in the early 1980s, with acts such as Sharon Redd, Bobby Thurston and Gayle Adams.