Johnny Gill

Gill is reportedly single. He has a son, Isaiah, who was born in 2006. Isaiah’s mother is said to be a journalist in Washington DC. There have been speculations about his sexuality. He has often been linked with comedy superstar Eddie Murphy.

Gill does not believe in lip-syncing during live shows, and he considers himself a purist.

Johnny Gill Jr. was born on May 22, 1966, at Washington DC, US. He is the youngest of the four sons of Baptist minister Johnny Gill Sr. and his wife, Annie Mae Gill. As a professional singer, Gill Sr. often traveled with quartet groups. Gill, along with his brothers, Bobby, Jeff, and Randy, sang for their family gospel group, ‘Wings of Faith.’ Gill started singing at the tender age of 5, and even as a child, he was gifted with a mature voice and was the lead singer of the group.

He studied at several schools, such as ‘Kimball Elementary,’ ‘Sousa Junior High,’ and the ‘Duke Ellington School of Arts.’ He completed his high-school education by studying at home with a tutor. Although he had initially wished to study electrical engineering, he later decided to concentrate only on music.

In 1982, singer Stacy Lattisaw, who was his childhood friend and who had heard Gill perform in his family group, persuaded him to record a demo. The president of ‘Atlantic Records’ heard the demo and liked it. Thus, Gill recorded his first album at the age of 16. The debut album, titled ‘Johnny Gill,’ was released by ‘Cotillion Records,’ a subsidiary of ‘Atlantic Records.’ His first single, ‘Super Love,’ made its place among the top 30 singles on the ‘R&B Hit’ chart.

His next project was a duet album with Stacy Lattisaw, titled ‘Perfect Combination.’ It graced the ‘Billboard 200’ and brought him national attention and fame. He recorded his second solo album, ‘Chemistry,’ in 1985, but it failed to achieve much commercial success.

Gill’s music career received a boost when, in 1987, he joined ‘New Edition’ as their lead singer. The group was a popular boy band of the 1980s, with all of its members, except Gill, being from Boston. Michael Bivins was responsible for making Gill join the band. Gill was an apt replacement of Bobby Brown. He was known as a singer with traditional training and was acknowledged for his smooth rendering of love ballads.

The group released their album ‘Heart Break’ in 1987, and a single from the album, ‘Can You Stand The Rain,’ reached the number one spot on the R&B charts. Other songs of the album, such as ‘N.E. Heart Break,’ ‘Boys To Men,’ and ‘If It Isn’t Love,’ were also appreciated.

Gill released his next few albums as a solo artist with ‘Motown Records.’ His next album, ‘Johnny Gill,’ released in 1990 and contained a number of hit songs such as ‘My My My,’ ‘Fairweather Friend,’ and ‘Wrap My Body Tight.’ One of the singles from the album, ‘Rub You The Right Way,’ reached the third spot on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart. The song ‘My My My’ aced the ‘US R&B chart’ and was among the Top 10 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart. The album reached the top spot on the ‘US Billboard Top R&B Albums’ chart and was among the Top 10 on the ‘US Billboard 200’ chart. The album is still considered to be his best as a solo artist.

Gill has eight ‘Top Ten’ R&B hits to his credit, which include both solo and duet efforts. His solo album, ‘Johnny Gill’ (1990), with four hit singles, sold a million copies.