Johnson, Kirby (??-1999)

Arranger, background vocalist, conductor, keyboardist, and orchestrator born in Illinois who studied music at the University of Illinois, graduating in 1961. It was around time he became a co-founder of The Continentals which evolved into The Lincolns. The Lincolns relocated to California and later became a trio known as The Wellingtons who made reguar appearances on the TV show Shindig and sang the first season theme song to Gilligan’s Island.

He went on to have an extremely prolific career with a small and mutually loyal circle of artists and groups, including Ry Cooder, Harpers Bizarre, Little Feat, Harry Nilsson, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, and Andy Williams.

Kirby arranged the horns, conducted the strings, and played electric piano on Simon’s breakout album, No Secrets. He arranged strings on Williams’ “Solitaire” which appears on Best of the 70s. The 70s were a busy time for Kirby, and his handiwork can be heard on a number of original albums and anthologies, including Nilsson’s Son of Schmilsson, Everybody’s Talkin’: The Very Best of Harry Nilsson, and Personal Best: The Harry Nilsson Anthology. His collaboration with Carly Simon extended to 1976’s Another Passenger, Best of Carly Simon (U.K. and U.S. versions) and Anthology.

In creative partnership with Ry Cooder, he expanded briefly into film with the Judd Nelson-Ally Sheedy box-office dud, Blue City. Ry used him on his eponymous debut album in 1971 and they continued a creative partnership that helped shape Crossroads and Music By Ry Cooder. He arranged the strings and horns on Little Feat’s self-titled debut in 1971, doing similar duties on Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre.

Bonnie Raitt employed his arranging and conducting skills on Takin’ My Time and The Bonnie Raitt Collection.

He played bass on and percussion on “Empty Love” by Bobby Jameson.

Here he is with The Wellingtons….

Sources:

Johnson, Kirby (??-1999)

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