Terry “Buzzy” Johnson, the legendary R&B singer and arranger who helped craft one of doo-wop’s most enduring masterpieces with The Flamingos, died on October 8. He was 86. No cause of death was reported.
Johnson’s death marks another significant loss for the R&B community in what has been a devastating year for the genre. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced his passing on social media, honoring his contributions to music history.
Born in Baltimore, Johnson began his musical journey as a teenager in the early 1950s, forming a group called The Whispers in 1954. The group recorded four songs for Gotham Records in Philadelphia, though they failed to achieve commercial success. His breakthrough came in 1958 when he joined The Flamingos as tenor and lead vocalist, guitarist and arranger.
Johnson’s most significant contribution to music came in 1959 when he arranged and co-produced The Flamingos’ iconic version of “I Only Have Eyes for You.” The song’s creation was spontaneous and nearly prophetic. Johnson was struck by inspiration in the early morning hours and immediately summoned his bandmates to the studio, directing session musicians to play guitar, piano, and soft percussion in a stretched-out triplet rhythm.
Initially, the song faced resistance. The record label president and even Johnson’s bandmates were skeptical of the arrangement, considering it strange and uncommercial. However, radio DJs embraced the track, choosing it over the intended single “Goodnight Sweetheart” from the album. The song became a massive hit and transformed perceptions within the group and record label.
The Flamingos’ version of “I Only Have Eyes for You” achieved legendary status, ranking 158th on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time when first published in 2004. The track was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003 and has been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify. Artists including Carly Simon, Beck, and Oneohtrix Point Never have covered the song, while it has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Netflix’s “The Crown” in 2018.
Johnson’s musical influences were notably diverse, shaped by his upbringing with artists like Arthur Godfrey, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra rather than traditional R&B. This background contributed to The Flamingos’ sophisticated sound that distinguished them from other vocal groups of the era. He brought this eclectic approach to the group, initially surprising his bandmates with performances of songs by artists like the Everly Brothers.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s tribute statement emphasized Johnson’s impact: “They stand as one of the most influential doo-wop groups of all time.” The organization noted how The Flamingos crafted a sophisticated sound like no other vocal group with Johnson’s contributions as tenor, lead vocalist, guitarist, and arranger.
In the 1960s, Smokey Robinson recruited Johnson to join Motown Records, where he worked as a producer and arranger for 10 years. During his tenure, he collaborated with legendary acts including the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Supremes, Martha & the Vandellas, and Edwin Starr, further cementing his influence on American popular music.
Following The Flamingos’ initial hit-making years, the group disbanded, but Johnson retained the trademark for the name and continued touring with his version of The Flamingos well into the 21st century. He remained active as a performer, expressing his passion for entertaining audiences and fulfilling their requests.
In 2020, Johnson recorded a new version of “I Only Have Eyes for You” in Nashville, working with producer Jimmy Nichols. The project demonstrated his continued connection to the song that defined his career, describing it as a timeless love song that resonates across generations.
The song has experienced a remarkable resurgence among younger audiences, particularly on TikTok, where it has been used in over 150,000 clips. The track has topped lists of legacy acts making comebacks on social media platforms, proving Johnson’s arrangement continues to find new demographics more than six decades after its original release.
The Flamingos were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000, and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame in 2001. Johnson’s death represents the loss of a key architect of one of popular music’s most atmospheric and enduring recordings, a song that transformed a 1934 musical number into what many consider the definitive expression of romantic yearning.