Artist:The Showmen
Song:It Will Stand
Album:Highlights from Crescent City Soul: The Sound of New Orleans 1947-1974
I'm sure long time music fans are familiar with General Johnson as lead singer of the soul group Chairmen of the Board and their 1970 smash hit Give Me Just a Little More Time. But before that he was leader of The Showmen and they charted twice with the 1961 single It Will Stand. Today it's considered to be a Beach Music classic. The Showmen were from Norfolk, VA. Johnson was lead singer and songwriter. Other members were Milton Wells, Dorsey Knight, Gene Knight and Leslie Fenton. They all grew up singing in church. Obviously influenced by early 50s R&B, Johnson formed The Humdingers in 1953 when he was 12 years old. In the late 50s, their manager sent a demo to Minit Records owner Joe Banashak and he brought them to New Orleans to record with Minit house producer Allen Toussaint. The group name was changed to The Showmen. They recorded a bunch of songs and the first single I Will Stand reached #61 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. After Banashak sold Minit to Imperial Records in 1963, Imperial re-released It Will Stand in 1964 and it reached #80 on the Billboard Hot 100. Johnson wrote It Will Stand and most of the group's songs. You can get It Will Stand on this highlights CD from the EMI box set Crescent City Soul. So Beach Music is the music of the Carolinas and Virginia. And The Showmen are popular Beach Music icons. The Showmen continued to release singles on various labels until Johnson left in 1968 and started Chairmen of the Board. Of course he had his greatest success with them while a version of The Showmen continue to perform today. Here's a video for It Will Stand by The Showmen.
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