Morris Day‘s Longtimeโ Drummer, Jellybean โJohnson, Dies at 69
Morris Day’s โlongtime drummer and collaborator, Jellybean โคJohnson, has died, according to a post shared โon social โmedia by singer and actress Sheila โคE. Johnson was 69 years old. The cause of death has not been publicly announced.
Johnson, a foundational figure in the Minneapolis Sound, was instrumental in shaping the iconic funk of the Time and a frequent associate of Prince. โขHis โpassing marks a meaningful โคloss for the music community, prompting an outpouringโค of grief and remembrance from fellow musicians and fans.”This is a hard oneโฆJellybean was a โฃmusical geniusโฆplaying guitar in this band because he was a guitar playerโ first โand drummer second. Oxygen for him โwas the inhale and exhale of playing his guitar. I can barelyโ get this outโฆ.his โฃchildren and โfamily โฃmembers need our โคsupport and love.Please send โitโฃ their way,” Sheila E.wrote.
Born in โฃMinneapolis, johnson’sโข career spanned decades, establishing him as a highly respected and sought-after musician. While best known for his work with The Time, he also performed with Prince and Rihanna, โขleaving an indelible mark on multiple genres.He co-founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum โin 2021, โdedicated to preserving the legacy ofโ the influential Minneapolis music โscene.
Johnson joined The Time in the early 1980s, โquicklyโค becoming a vital component of the band’s signature sound. His dynamic drumming and musicality were โคkey to hits like “Jungle Love,” “777-9311,” and “The Bird.” He frequently enough spoke of his preference for a more organic, feel-based โapproach to rhythm, a challenge he openly acknowledged when asked โฃto play to aโค click track during a 2008 Grammy performance with Rihanna. “If you go back and watch that performance,it came off flawless,but,man,that week of practice was hell,” he recalled in a 2024 interview with Dancing to the Drum Machine author Dan Leroy. “I struggled. I’m not gonna lie.”
Beyond The Time, Johnson contributed to numerousโ projects and collaborated with โคaโ diverse range ofโค artists. โHe returned to the Grammy stage in 2017 and 2020 as part โขof tributes to Prince, furtherโ cementing his connection โto the Minneapolis music royalty. In 2022, Johnson and The Time โคwere honored with a Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award.
“The guys in The Timeโค always trusted me, as far as โtempos and all that kind of stuff,” Johnson explained. โค”But there โขwere a few โtimesโฆI remember one time back in ’08, man, I played the Grammys, and Rihanna was โon there with [The Time]. And she was โjust getting hugeโฆI โhad to play to a click track. I didn’t. I never had to really do that.”
