Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/pop group New Edition and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG, with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill has released eight solo albums, three albums with New Edition, two albums with LSG, and one collaborative album with Stacy Lattisaw. Gill has sold over 15 million copies worldwide as a solo artist.

Early life

Gill was born on May 22, 1966, in Washington, D.C., and his wife, Annie Mae Gill, who had four boys. He started singing at the age of five, performing in church in a family gospel group called Little Johnny and "Wings of Faith".

Music career

Early career

Gill's recording career began in 1982, at the age of 16, when his childhood friend Stacy Lattisaw convinced him to record a demo. This demo fell into the hands of the president of Atlantic Records, and his first self-titled debut album was released shortly thereafter on Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion Records. On September 6, 2019, Gill released his album Game Changer II. Beginning in 2023, Gill enjoyed a resurgence of popularity with his song, "Rub You the Right Way" on the popular social media app TikTok, with various influencers using the song for their videos.

Acting career

Gill has had over 80 television and film appearances as a singer and actor. He had a cameo role on the TV show Family Matters, and sang "You For Me" in the 2006 movie Madea's Family Reunion. Gill starred in the 2009 stage play A Mother's Prayer, alongside Robin Givens, Shirley Murdock, and Jermaine Crawford.

Awards and accolades

Grammy Awards

Gill has received two Grammy Award nominations: one with New Edition and one as a solo artist.

{| class="wikitable"

|+Awards and nominations for Johnny Gill

!Year

!Nominated work

!Award

!Result

|-

|align=center|1989

|"If It Isn't Love" <small>(with New Edition)</small>

|Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

|

|-

|1991

|Johnny Gill

|Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

|

|}

In 1991, Gill won two Soul Train Awards: for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year – Male (for Johnny Gill) and for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single (for "My My My").

In 2019, Gill won the SoulTracks Readers' Choice Award for Album of the Year (for Game Changer II).

Discography

Studio albums

  • Johnny Gill (1983)
  • Chemistry (1985)
  • Johnny Gill (1990)
  • Provocative (1993)
  • Let's Get the Mood Right (1996)
  • Still Winning (2011)
  • Game Changer (2014)
  • Game Changer II (2019)

Collaboration albums

  • Perfect Combination with Stacy Lattisaw (1984)
  • Heart Break with New Edition (1988)
  • Home Again with New Edition (1996)
  • Levert.Sweat.Gill with LSG (1997)
  • LSG2 with LSG (2003)
  • One Love with New Edition (2004)

Tour

  • Johnny Gill Tour 1990–1991
  • Provocative Tour 1993 (1993)
  • Let's Get the Mood Right Tour (1996–1997)
  • 21 Nights in Japan: Still Winning (2011)
  • Game Changer Tokyo Live (2015)
  • Charlie Wilson's In It to Win It Tour (2016)
  • Culture Tour New Edition (2022)
  • Legacy Tour New Edition (2023)
  • The New Edition Way Tour (2026)

References

  • Johnny Gill at VH1