Johnny Christopher

John (“Johnny”) Lee Christopher Jr.[1] (born 1943 in Atlanta, Georgia[2][3]) is an American singer[4], guitarist, session musician, and songwriter.

Background

Christopher’s singles[4] included “(She's A) Girl Of Many Colors / The Teacher And The Pet” (1969) and “Love Stuff” (1972).

As a songwriter, he wrote ”Mama Liked the Roses" for Elvis Presley and co-wrote "Always on My Mind" with Mark James and Wayne Carson, a song first recorded by B.J. Thomas in 1970. Gwen McCrae also recorded the song as did Brenda Lee in 1972. The song has been covered by several well-known artists including Elvis Presley, John Wesley Ryles and the Pet Shop Boys. For Willie Nelson's 1982 cover, Christopher, James, and Carson won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Country Song, 10 years after its original release.[5][6]

He also co-wrote the 1974 song "If You Talk in Your Sleep" for Elvis Presley with Red West.

As of 2014, he was no longer in the music industry.[3]

References

1. "Songs written by Johnny Christopher | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
2. Jones, Roben (2010-11-12). Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-60473-402-7.
3. "ARTIE CHRISTOPHER : Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven". www.sirshambling.com. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
4. "Johnny Christopher". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
5. Jones, Roben (2010). Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios. University Press of Mississippi. p. 337. johnny christopher always on my mind.
6. Poe, Randy (2012). Stalking the Red Headed Straonger. Hal Leonard Corporation.