Cynthia Johnson: An exciting journey of music, family, and stardom

“No one takes you by the hand and tells you how to do this…how to navigate your way through the music business,” explains Cynthia Johnson, who adds that she encountered more than her fair share of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” along the way. Yet she’s come out triumphant on the other side, having never compromised her principles and remaining true to the path that “God set forth” for her.

Johnson, one of six kids and the youngest of four girls, similarly recalls the indelible musical influence that her mother, a choir director, had on her and her siblings.

“Whenever there was a big storm outside, mom would gather us kids together and teach us to sing in harmony,” she says. “So I always equated music with love and family. It was a safe space for me.”

She followed her dad’s footsteps by learning to play the saxophone as a fourth grader. By age 14, Johnson was singing with two of her sisters in the group Three Days Ahead, which gigged around Lake Street and other local spots. The experience also gave the youngster a glimpse into the things she knew weren’t for her.

“My sisters were older than me, and I saw what was distracting to them. I was not interested in those things. Despite my age, I was pretty focused musically.”

A few years later, she performed with other bands around town, although nothing serious. And while she still loved to sing, Johnson was now setting her sights on becoming an actor. That’s when destiny stepped in—at least for the first time.

Joey Kareem, a guitarist with the teenage musical force known as Flyt Tyme, heard Johnson’s voice and asked if she’d like to audition for the band. He brought her to North Minneapolis, where she was instantly as impressed with the “nine young men” she met as they were with her.

“They were just so good, so amazingly talented. They played by ear,” reminisces Johnson, “Plus, they had a horn section. I’d never seen a band with a horn section.”

As the only girl in the group, Johnson’s mother worried she might wind up “like Billie Holiday.” However, as Johnson soon discovered, that wouldn’t be an issue. There was so much more to like about these guys. 

“Flyt Tyme rehearsed every day. They were dedicated, organized, disciplined,” Johnson affirms. “What’s more is that they didn’t do drugs. Weren’t abusive to women. Were gentlemen to their girlfriends. Treated me with respect. They were someone I could hide behind. I felt safe with them.”

In addition to her new bandmates’ love and support, they also allowed her creative license. “Terry [Lewis] and David [Eiland] always encouraged me to write my own songs,” notes Johnson, “Sure, we did covers, but we were one of the only bands around that played original songs.” 

Likewise, Johnson’s personal devotion to Flyt Tyme was demonstrated by the fact that she religiously rode the bus from St. Paul to the North Side to make it to daily rehearsals. “Flyt Tyme was everything to me.”    

After graduating college, she returned home and sang with a few other bands until fate struck again in 1979 when a friend told her, “There’s this guy looking for you.”

Record producer Steve Greenberg was struggling to find someone who could hit the notes to his latest composition, “Funkytown.” Johnson turned out to be “the one,” and in 1980, that song topped the charts in 28 countries, a world record at the time. 

She went on to front Greenberg’s band, Lipps Inc., for three albums and scored additional hits with songs like “Rock It” and “How Long.” Although she was the “voice” of Lipps Inc., she was never the “face,” appearing in neither of the two videos for “Funkytown,” a single that sold more than eight million copies worldwide in a matter of months. 

A former member of the Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness and a Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inductee, Johnson has appeared on record alongside Aretha Franklin, Maceo Parker, Stacy Lattisaw, Chico DeBarge, Elisa Fiorillo, Reneé Austin, and so many more, before releasing her own critically acclaimed solo album, “All that I Am,” in 2013.

Johnson continues to sing worldwide, including an upcoming performance this July at the Pepsi Center WTC in Mexico City. 

When she reflects on where it all started, she can’t help but be reminded of those “young men” from Flyt Tyme. “If I was around another band back then, who knows? Things might have turned out differently for me,” she says. 

“Jellybean [Johnson], Terry [Lewis], David [Eiland], Bird [Robert Martin], Chipmunk [Jimmie Anderson], Tony [Johnson], Big Bob [Johnson]. Those guys don’t know how important they were to me. I watched them. They helped shape who I was going to be. And who I wasn’t. They were my foundation.”