Willie Neal Johnson & The New Keynotes
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Willie Neal Johnson (August 25, 1935 – January 10, 2001) was an American gospel singer, who became known as "Country Boy" for his rootsy blues-driven style and his down-to-earth, friendly personality. Growing up in a musical family, he was recruited as a teenager to sing with a gospel group. He later achieved recording and national fame with groups of musicians.
In 1964 he started his own group, "Willie Neal Johnson and the Gospel Keynotes." They toured in the Southwest and also produced records for Nashboro Records. They later signed with Malaco Records in Mississippi and changed their name in 1985 to "Willie Neal Johnson and the New Keynotes".
In 1999 the New Keynotes were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Detroit and the American Gospel Quartet Hall of Fame in Birmingham, Alabama.
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