Jellybean Johnson, Renowned Drummer of The Time and Prince Collaborator, Dead at 69
via Michelle Will./ youtube
Garry George “Jellybean” Johnson — drummer for the Prince-associated groups the Time and the Family — passed away on Friday at 69, just two days after his birthday.
Susannah Melvoin, vocalist for the Family, honored her “beautiful brother” on Instagram, calling their band a true “Family” built on love, music and kindness. She highlighted Johnson’s mastery of both guitar and drums, saying that playing guitar was as natural to him as breathing.
Jellybean Johnson’s Life and Career
Born Nov. 19, 1956, in Chicago, Johnson moved to Minneapolis as a child and picked up drums and guitar during his teenage years. He joined the Minneapolis funk/R&B outfit Flyte Tyme, which evolved into the Time in 1981 after Prince added drummer-turned-frontman Morris Day and guitarist Jesse Johnson.
While Day and Prince handled most of the drumming on the Time’s first two albums, Johnson began contributing more in the studio on the group’s third record, Ice Cream Castle (1984). His work with both the Time and the Family helped shape the Minneapolis sound — a signature blend of funk-rock, new wave and synth-pop closely tied to Prince’s musical identity.
Johnson also appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in the 1984 film Purple Rain. After the Time dissolved in 1985, he spent a short period with the Family before moving into producing. He went on to coproduce Janet Jackson’s No. 1 hit “Black Cat,” as well as Top 10 singles like Alexander O’Neal’s “Criticize” and New Edition’s “Crucial.”
He reunited with the Time in 1990, and the group earned its biggest hit with the Top 10 single “Jerk Out.” Another reunion followed in 2008 when they performed with Rihanna at the Grammys. In 2011, they released Condensate under the name The Original 7ven.
Mastering Prince’s Toughest Drum Machine Groove
Johnson earned recognition for his ability to replicate intricate drum-machine patterns on a real drum kit — most notably the challenging beat on the Time’s “777-9311.”
Speaking to journalist Dan Leroy, Johnson said he never aimed for a perfect imitation: “There are world-class drummers who get pretty close … I never tried to get that close. I tried to get it the Jellybean way.” He joked that although others might technically play it better, he was satisfied that he “fooled” listeners into thinking he nailed it.
