Happy 83rd birthday to the Fantastic Johnny C! He was born John Corley in Greenwood, South Carolina.
After he served in the military, he joined a gospel group in Pennsylvania. While they were rehearsing, a church member and neighbor heard him singing. That man was Jesse James, who was a record producer and a songwriter. James became Johnny’s manager and wrote the song Boogaloo Down Broadway for him.
Johnny recorded the song in Philadelphia. The people who heard the finished song called it “fantastic.” This led Jesse to release the song on the Phil L.A. of Soul label and Johnny became The Fantastic Johnny C. The song was a success as it went to #5 on the R&B Chart and #7 on the Hot 100 Chart.
He would follow the song with three singles, all of which didn’t perform well on the charts. He would only release the one album in his career. He left the music business to open his own record store (J.C. Records) in Pennsylvania.
The song still sounds great today! Happy Birthday, Johnny C!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 