Chicago soul icon Syl Johnson first cracked the Billboard charts with a cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River," but he took it from there, cutting the rest of his teeth with numbers known for both message and melody ("Is It Because I'm Black?", "Different Strokes"). Soon he was the one being covered, as a handful of contemporary hip-hoppers, from the Wu-Tang Clan to the Geto Boys, sampled the jams. Such success - and the recent soul revival - have pushed him to cut new tracks on Delmark and frequent clubs again with his New Old School backing band. (Gavin Paul)
