"Put on yo' red dress, and yo' hi' heels an' some of that sweet perfume... It sho' smells good on you..."

Ah yeah, y'all know the aforementioned lyrics sung by Johnny Gill had you open like your local Booker T. Washington High School in September...

We were fortunate enough to run into the crooner at a recent event and it's a good thing too...

If we were to get another e-mail asking what Johnny Gill has been up to, we might've done something rash like going out to purchase the Young MC box-set (yeah, it was getting that bad)...

Prior to running into "JG," we heard he was signed to Platinum Records, but that deal dropped off like a lead parachute... "I'm just finishing up the album right now," said Gill... "I actually have several offers I'm entertaining right now. Basically, "Platinum" didn't have the funds to continue doing projects. These things happen... So, we just had to move on."

His deep-gravel voice and passionate vocal stylings were responsible for more than a few intimate encounters, but one encounter that people keep asking us about is his relations with pop star Janet Jackson... Johnny told us that they are just friends...

we're just friends, said an evasive sounding Gill...

"I'm aware of the rumors... You know, I don't know what to say... We've been friends for many, many years.... I don't know... All I know, to sum it up, we're just friends."

All right, all right! We get the point... No EUR ground breakers here, but that's all good...

If you haven't heard from Gill in a while, you may have forgotten that the brother is very opinionated...

When asked about how he felt about Ricky Bell's solo effort, Gill beamed with pride when speaking of Bell... But then the crooner took the black listening public to task for non-support of African-American artists of legendary standing...

"People might not agree with me when I say this, but black people don't know how to support black acts that have been around for a long time. It's so unfortunate," Gill said...

It is unfortunate indeed...

While many critics feel Diana Ross doomed the Supremes' Tour, others follow the school of thought which Johnny Gill is alluding to: the majority of black folks have short musical attention spans...

"Stevie Wonder has written just as many hit records as Elton John or Billy Joel... Stevie MIGHT get a night at the (6,000 seat) Universal Amphitheater (in L.A.)... Elton and Billy would fill stadiums... It's all about support...

With black people, it's just what's hot now... We need to learn how to support our own...

You look at Diana Ross, they had to cancel her tour... Diana, to a degree, would be considered a black Barbra Streisand. If Barbra were to go on tour today, the arena would be packed...

It's unfortunate, but we don't really hold our artists up."

On the flip side of Johnny's argument there lies another angle needing to be explored...

Some would argue that the black concert-going populace is shaped by radio airplay... But Gill said, even with major radio play, our legends would get very little love...

Expect new music from Johnny Gill before the end of the year, he says...

Born in Washington, D.C., Johnny Gill was discovered by singer Stacy Lattisaw after singing in his family's group Wings of Faith...

His solo career began in 1983 with the Top 30 R&B single "Super Love."

In duo with Lattisaw, he scored an R&B Top Ten hit in 1984 with "Perfect Combination."

In 1988, Gill joined New Edition, replacing Bobby Brown... In 1989 he sang on two R&B hits: "Where Do We Go from Here," a #1 by Stacy Lattisaw, and "One Love," by George Howard...

Gill finally scored as a solo singer in 1990 with the release of his album "Johnny Gill", which reached double platinum status, selling over 2 million copies & topping the R&B chart...

Following the album "Provocative", Gill reunited with New Edition in 1996...

A month after New Edition released "Home Again" in September of 1996, Gill released "Let's Get the Mood Right"...

Gill later joined Keith Sweat & Gerald Levert to form the group "LSG"...

"Perfect Combination"
Release Date: '83

"Johnny Gill"
Release Date: '83

"Chemistry"
Release Date: '85

"Johnny Gill"
Release Date: '90

"Provacative"
Release Date: '93

"Let's Get The Mood Right"
Release Date: '96

"Favorites"
Release Date: '97