The Johnny Bridgeforth Orchestra

A group organized by a prolific Hammond organist from Pulaski who went blind in the 1960s.

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History[edit | edit source]

His first and only release came out on Champion Records in 1959 as an instrumental piece. Writing credits were divided between label boss Alan Bubis and James Brown, also known as James Monroe Brown, songwriter and later label boss himself from Pulaski, Tennessee. Not being musically inclined, Alan Bubis may have gotten writing credits out of a contractual relationship with Johnny Bridgeforth who at the time was organist for The Jimmy Beck Orchestra, the house band for Champion. Bridgeforth shared credits on the keys with local Nashvillian Don Q. Pullen, an active bandleader and music arranger.

Working with James Monroe Brown, who owned Chanson Records, out of Pulaski, Johnny got work as an organist, songwriter, and bandleader. Most of the early output centered around Clentt Gant, cousin to 'Nashville Jumps' performer Cecil Gant. In that capacity, The Johnny Bridgeforth Orchestra backed up Clentt Gant on the fourth release for that label featuring a song penned by former Prisonaire, Robert Riley. The next release by the label, also by Clentt Gant, included a song co-written by Bridgeforth with label owner James Brown. This rocking single "Just Like You Like It / All Mine" was re-released by venerable Houston based R&B label Duke the following year. The guitar-forward backing band credited as The Imperials could have been fellow Nashville club pros, The Imperial Seven, led by guitarist Johnny Jones, commonly referred to locally as just "The Imperials."

After his work at Chanson, Bridgeforth would later work at Bridgeforth High School in Pulaski and Bledsoe County High School in Pikeville as bandleader and music teacher. As he started to lose his eyesight he left the teaching profession. One of his last known performances includes his work for a musical performed at Cumberland County Playhouse. His eyesight failing, he had to memorize the score, a remarkable feat that got quite the complementary write-up in the Tennessean in 1968. Sadly the biographical snippets in the article fail to mention his recording career. Performances of the late 60s for Bridgeforth included work in Sheffield, Alabama, the Huntsville Alabama Elk Lodge, the Crossville Moose Lodge, and as a house performer for the newly-opened Holiday Hills Resort in Crossville. The article quotes Bridgeforth as saying that memorizing and playing the music for 'Carousel' "is the greatest event of my life, it's a dream come true."