S.O.D. "Who's Johnny" by El Debarge

10/29/2015     Eldra Patrick Debarge is his full name and luckily he's made a nice living in the music business as he has had the pleasure or not of fathering 12 children with the first one coming during his 16th year on the planet.  As a boy, he began singing with his family in church and doing his best to mimic his older brother, Bobby's singing voice.  The CEO of Motown Records, Berry Gordy, had no hesitation in signing him and his brothers after hearing El on the piano with his versatile tenor style voice.  At that time they were known as The Debarges.

     In 1986 Eldra left the group to begin a successful solo career.  This tune, one of his first is a 1986 release under the genre of dance-pop and was featured in the 1986 film Short Circuit, starring Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg.  

     In the music video which takes place in a courtroom, the robot from the movie, Johnny Number 5, wreaks harmless and hilarious havoc on the participants which include the movie cast.

    On the charts it took the #3 spot  on the Billboard Hot 100 and ranked at #1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.  He has released 16 singles and 6 albums with his latest, "Second Chance" earning 3 Grammy nominations.  His main instrument is piano and keyboards.