Mr. Emotion and the Magic Potion: Chuck Jackson and Lou Johnson

Chuck Jackson and Lou Johnson had more in common than just suave good looks, succinct stage names and powerful baritones. Both were trailblazing balladeers, progenitors of a unique and sophisticated brand of uptown soul, and among the foremost interpreters of songwriting giants Burt Bacharach and Hal David at the peak of their powers, if not yet their popularity.

Of the two men, Jackson had the most commercial success. The Pittsburgh-raised singer signed to the Scepter label's Wand imprint in 1961 after spending several years singing with the Del-Vikings and the Versatiles, and scored a near-immediate R&B smash with his own co-penned "I Don't Want to Cry". In addition to Jackon's gospel-y vocal, the single was the first to feature the sweet orchestral accompaniment and bombastic drumming that would become the hallmark of the uptown sound.



Jackson would improve upon the formula with "The Breaking Point", an early Bacharach composition that unfolds at a dramatic pace (and you gotta love that "shag-a-dag-a-dag" lyrical hook).


But Jackson would really hit gold the following year with Lieber & Stoller's incredible "I Keep Forgettin'", a slinky, sinister masterpiece of punchy percussion.



Jackson went on to score more hits for Wand, notably the Bacharach/David classic "Any Day Now" and the humorous "Tell Him I'm Not Home", and was also the first to record the often-covered Bacharach standard "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (a miss for Chuck, but a hit for Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and many others, right up to the White Stripes).



Jackson signed to Motown in the mid-60s but his output on the label proved to be less enduring. Thanks to Youtube user HeNdOxJeNdo for the following clip of Jackson performing "Any Day Now" live on TV with support from Bacharach on keys:



Lou Johnson had far less luck commercially, yet in many ways his output outshines Jackson's. Signed to the smaller Brill-Building subsidiary Big Top, the New Yorker recorded his first single "If I Never Get to Love You" with Bacharach at the helm. It's a fantastic debut and a big booming introduction to Johnson's thunderous vocal, with many dramatic twists and turns, but it was overlooked on the fledgling label.



His second single, "Magic Potion" had cute lyrics ("Oh Gypsy / Hear My Plea"), and a deceptively complex melody deftly handled by Johnson; however, it was a poor choice for an A-side. The B-side, Bacharach/David's now-classic "Reach Out for Me", was quickly covered by Scepter's rising star Dionne Warwick, becoming her third hit single.



Determined to score one for Lou, Bacharach took Johnson to England, where he performed the timeless "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" on Top of the Pops in 1964. Sadly, a pair of identical covers by British superstar Sandie Shaw, and by Warwick in the US, eclipsed sales of Johnson's original version.



Johnson's subsequent single, "Kentucky Bluebird (Message to Martha)", also became a hit for Warwick, much to Bacharach's chagrin, who insisted it was written for a man to sing. Nevertheless, Lou Johnson continued to record for Big Top, releasing the classic Northern Soul track "Unsatisfied" in 1965 (a favorite of Edwin Starr's), the unusual, Klezmer-influenced "A Time to Love, A Time to Cry" and the giddy "Park Avenue".



After releasing a well-received bluesy LP ("Sweet Southern Soul") for Cotillion in the early-70s, Johnson sank into obscurity until the late-90s, when renewed interest in Bacharach led to a revisiting (and subsequent re-release) of Johnson's excellent 60s discography.