Now Playing
Earl Gibson III/WireImageJohnny Gill is having a career renaissance, and a reason to celebrate his former glory.
Just as his latest hit single “This One’s For Me And You” — featuring New Edition — continues to catapult radio and video outlets, Sunday marked 26 years since the veteran R&B crooner released his seminal Motown Records debut. The album vaulted him into the adult contemporary stratosphere and yielded the hit singles “Rub You The Right Way,” “Fair-weather Friend,” “Wrap My Body Tight” and the ultimate ballad “My, My, My.”
“That album at that time, I just wasn’t in the moment so it’s like it was just so much that was going on,” Gill told ABC Radio. “I was enjoying it and having fun but I really didn’t understand the importance of it until you look back and you recognize that how many years later that people still recognize that as my best work and yet at the end of the day people still appreciate it.”
Nowadays, the Washington, D.C. native is his own label owner and takes the success of the new project, entitled Game Changer, quite seriously.
“I’m grateful because you couldn’t have told me 32 years later that I would’ve had the opportunity to be able to be in control of my life, over my music and being able to make a decision and decide on where and how I will get to complete my vision of where I see myself today,” he shared.
Wednesday, the cast will be revealed for the upcoming three-part BET miniseries, New Edition: The Movie, about the singing group for which he became a lead singer in 1987. Gill says details about the film, which will start shooting next month, are still being ironed out.
”Everybody, all the players, the writers and all that stuff, they’re still revamping and doing some things with the script and making sure that everybody is comfortable with the story that’s going to be told and making it as accurate as we can,” he said. “And it’s beyond incredible and a blessing.”
“We’ve been wanting to do this for a long time,” he added. “But my reality and for all of us is, our timing ain’t necessarily God’s timing and here’s where we are today and somebody finally said, ‘Hey, it is time.'”
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
debut dishes Johnny miniseries motown reflects since success upcoming years
