Tribute concert honors legendary Morganton singer, producer

In March of 2004, Robert Caldwell placed a call to his old friend Johnny Bristol, who was then living in Michigan.

Bristol may have been an extremely successful songwriter, record producer, and recording artist, but to Robert he was still “Frog,” the nickname by which Bristol — a native of Morganton — was known during his years at Olive Hill High School.

“I said, ‘FROG! How you doing?’” Robert recalled. “And Johnny answered back, ‘Damn! It sounds good to hear that name again.’”

Robert was calling his friend because Bristol was set to be the keynote speaker at the Second Grand Reunion of Olive Hill High later that month.

As fate would have it, Bristol never got to deliver his speech. He suffered a fatal heart attack just a few days later. He died at age 65 on March 24, 2004.

But Caldwell and a dedicated group of volunteers are determined that Bristol’s memory will live on and that a new generation of Burke County residents will be made aware of his remarkable musical legacy.

The group has organized “Your Precious Love — A Tribute to Johnny Bristol” for the evening of Saturday, Oct. 18, at the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium.

Five members of that group gathered on a recent September morning to talk about the upcoming concert and to share their remembrances of Bristol and of his talents.

The gathering took place in Benjamin’s and Libba’s fine clothing store in the heart of downtown Morganton. The reason for the location: Benjamin’s owner, Ben Belton, and Bristol were fast friends.

In addition to Ben and Robert, others attending were Robert’s wife, Ola, and Leslie and George McKesson.

Before getting into their remembrances and plans for the tribute concert, it is perhaps best to review Bristol’s career for those unfamiliar with his work.

Johnny Bristol’s Career

After his graduation from Olive Hill High School, Bristol joined the Air Force. While serving his country, he met Jackey Beavers and they later formed the duo Johnny and Jackey.

Although the duo recorded a couple of singles, they received little airplay outside of the Midwest and by the mid-1960s Bristol began working as a songwriter and producer for Motown Records.

Along with partner Harvey Fuqua, Bristol produced several hit singles, including Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

As his reputation flourished, Bristol worked with some of Motown’s biggest stars, including Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Velvelettes, Junior Walker and the All Stars, and the Supremes.

His most famous work with the Supremes was, “Someday, We’ll Be Together,” a Number One hit in 1969 in which he sang harmony with Diana Ross.

Bristol left Motown in 1973 to join CBS as a producer, where he wrote and produced songs for a stellar cast of performers, including Tom Jones, Johnny Mathis, Jerry Butler, Boz Scaggs, and Al Wilson.

It was in 1974 that Bristol’s own recording career took off, powered by the hit single, “Hang On in There Baby,” which hit Number Eight on the U.S. pop charts and Number Three in the United Kingdom.

That hit single and several others that reached the Top 20 fueled two best-selling albums as well, “Hang On in There Baby,” and “Feeling the Magic.”

Although the mid-70s marked the high mark of Bristol’s recording career, he continued to be in great demand as a writer and producer for a number of stars including Scaggs, Jones, Tavares, the Jackson Sisters, and Linda Evans.

Bristol continued to work in the music industry into the 1990s and lived in the Detroit area throughout his career until his death on March 21, 2004.

Morganton Memories

Robert remembers Bristol as being “very polite, very well mannered,” when they were in high school together and when both sang in the school’s glee club.

It was that time together in glee club which led Robert and Bristol, along with two other Olive Hill students — Eddie White and Gaston Fleming — to form their own foursome called “The Red Jackets.”

“They were given that name by Rev. McIntosh,” said Ola, referring to the late W. Flemon McIntosh Jr., a teacher at Olive Hill who was also the longtime pastor of Green Street Presbyterian Church.

“The mascot for Olive Hill was a yellow jacket,” Ola continued, “and the boys always wore matching red jackets, so that name just came naturally.”

The Red Jackets, known for their youthful harmonies, sang a mixture of Doo Wap, gospel and jazz to audiences all around Burke County.

“We were good,” said Robert. “And Johnny was the best of us.”

Ben did not know Bristol until the star singer came to shop in his store back in 1980.

“I did not know him at all,” Ben recalled of that first encounter. “But we quickly became friends. It was a love of fashion that brought us together. After that, he would always stop by the shop whenever he was in town.

“We got each other,” Ben continued. “He let me inside his world because he knew I had an appreciation for his craft and for what he did. He was just so cool.”

Ben, who is also friends with Bristol’s children, said he hopes the tribute concert will lead to an increased recognition of Bristol and his accomplishments in the community

“The man is a legend,” Ben said. “A legendary artist who sprung from this community. And we need to have a permanent remembrance of Johnny, perhaps a mural on one of the downtown walls, so that legend will be honored by his hometown.”

Echoing Ben’s remarks, Leslie said, “We want to see Johnny and his accomplishments recognized at the community level. We want to reintroduce him to younger people who may not know him. And hopefully, the money raised through this concert can go to a permanent recognition, something special, something meaningful.”

The Tribute Concert

The concert is scheduled for 7:15-9:15 p.m. at CoMMA.

Tickets range in price from $50 for VIP seating, which includes a pre-concert reception, to $25 for lower level, and $18 for balcony.

The music for the evening will be provided by “The Sounds of Morganton,” a group of local musicians who have been practicing for months, Leslie said, “because this is truly a work of the heart.”

“Most of the musicians are from Morganton,” she continued, “and some are professionals. I promise you, we are going to do this right. It is going to be an extraordinary evening of entertainment.”

More information about the concert can be found on the CoMMA website or on the Johnny Bristol Facebook page.

Tickets may be purchased on the CoMMA website.

“Let’s sell the place out,” said Ben of the upcoming event. “Let’s make this a night that Johnny would be proud of.”