Introduction
Johnny Ferguson (born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1937) is an American country and pop singer-songwriter from the 60s music era. He started as a disc jockey on several of local stations in Nashville. He cut out demo recordings which were noticed by an MGM executive Arnold Maxin. Maxin invited Ferguson to sign to the label, and immediately Ferguson recorded and released a single “Angela Jones” an oldies music classic written by John Loudermilk. It became a Top 40 hit in 1960, and soon Ferguson released other songs but all failed to chart. He later vanished quietly, becoming a one hit wonder.
Short recording career, and only hit “Angela Jones”
American pop and country singer Johnny Ferguson was born in Nashville, Tennessee on March 22, 1937. He is not to be confused with Johnny Ferguson, the organist known for his choral compositions.
He began in the music business as a radio disc jockey at several local stations around Nashville; he started this career while he was still in high school. He also wrote songs and penned a handful which was recorded by country music acts like Judy Lynn and Pat Kelly.
A demo of one of Ferguson’s songs eventually landed him a recording deal with MGM Records, through the discovery and help of the label’s executive Arnold Maxin. His first single was “Angela Jones,” written by the legendary songwriter John D. Loudermilk, who had also recorded his own version. The song was recorded on October 5, 1959 and entered Billboard pop chart in February 1960, where it peaked at #27. But a later version by Michael Cox (produced by Joe Meek) performed even better.
Ferguson tried to duplicate the minor success of “Angela Jones” with a handful of singles (including a version of “I Understand”) but they all failed to chart. Not long after, he vanished from the scene.
