This is a listing of all recordings involving Johnny Starr that I have been able to find to date. Excluding the recordings that he did with Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Knight in 1965 that is, these have their own separate page, "Recordings With Jimi Hendrix".
This listing is highly likely incomplete so if you have any releases to add or have additional information or corrections please email me at
1960s RECORDINGS
So far I have been able to confirm two 60s singles (and possibly one acetate) by Johnny Starr as being by the "correct" Johnny Starr.
45 Johnny Starr - "Don't Hold Back / The Swingin' Organ" (Eastern Records 45-60-001) April 1964 USA
Neither of the two sides of the single was composed by Johnny so there is no copyright information available to ID him. The Eastern Records -label, however, was a subsidiary of Sue. According to the label the disc was "A "Juggy" - Redd Production" ie co-produced by Juggy Murray of Sue and Gene Redd.
Until May / June 1964 Sue was located in the same building, 1650 Broadway, as Studio "76" and PPX Enterprises, Inc. where Johnny Starr, Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Knight recorded for Ed Chalpin in 1965.2 Would be quite a co-incidence if the same building had two different recording artists called "Johnny Starr" working in it in 1964-1965 so the "Don't Hold Back" 45 very likely is by the "correct" Johnny Starr.
As added circumstantial proof, the Mala Records Johnny Starr 45 from 1968 (see further down this page) which can be confirmed as being by the "correct" Johnny Starr by a copyright record was also produced by Gene Redd.
The A-side of the single is available on YouTube:
Johnny Starr - "I Feel Good (All Over)" - one sided (?) acetate single from 1965? 1
Sold on eBay in 2015 the seller guessed that "Johnny Starr" would be a pseudonym for Edwin Starr but added the disclaimer "Note: I had to draw my own conclusions here so my guess work could be faulty".
Another version of the song was commercially released on this 45:
Betty LaVette - "I Feel Good (All Over) / Only Your Love Can Save Me" (Calla 104) 1965 USA
What was the address of Calla, the label that released the single, on the 45 label? 1650 Broadway. And the distributor for Calla is given as "CAMEO-PARKWAY Inc." who also had a New York City office at 1650 Broadway in 1965-1966. So I believe that it´s highly likely this acetate can be credited to John Michael Arnold aka Johnny Starr. Possibly he recorded this for release under his own name or was just making a demo for publishing purposes so that the song could be pitched to other artists.
BUT this is purely guesswork and speculation as I haven't even heard the track. Unfortunately I do not know who sold the acetate 45 on eBay, nor do I know who bought it and there is no audio file to be found. If you know more, have a sound file (or indeed own the acetate) it would be great to hear from you, my email address:
45 Johnny Starr - "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do / Don`t Block The Road" (Mala Records M - 12,019) August? 1968 USA
Johnny Starr is confirmed as the "correct" Johnny Starr ie John Michael Arnold by the copyright registrations for the songs:
DO RE MI FA SO LA TI DO; w & m Gene
Redd, Johnny Starr, pseud. of John
M. Arnold, & Rose Marie McCoy. 2 p.
© Stephanye Music & Aim Music, a div.
of Bell Records, Inc.; 19Aug68;
EP248799.
DON`T BLOCK THE ROAD; w & m Gene Redd,
Johnny Starr, pseud. of John M.
Arnold, & John Moore. 2 p.
© Stephanye Music & Aim Music, a div.
of Bell Records, Inc.; 19Aug68;
EP248800.
The single was reviewed in the 17 August 1968 issue of Cash Box.
Both sides of the single are available on YouTube:
1970s - 1980s RECORDINGS
BMI.com has only three composer entries for John Michael Arnold (more titles may of course very well be lurking elsewhere). One of these is for an A-side of a solo single, released as "Johnni Starr":
45 Johnni Starr - "I Done Found Myself / Rain Is Falling" (Blue Wave Records BW001) USA 19??
"Joe the sound man" recalls:
"As far as recordings,' I done found myself ' is the only one I know of. He did that with the help of Harold Sargent and his band 'Wood, Brass & Steel', a regional Show Band that played around New England in the 70's. About the 'i' at the end of his name on the record, that might have been put there for legal reasons. There appears to been a couple other Johnnys around at that time." 3
The A-side of the single is available on YouTube:
Another song in the BMI database that it is possible to trace to a recording is "Follow The Wind". John Michael Arnold gets a co-composer credit, not as "Johnny Starr" but this time under the pseudonym "Jungle Jim".
The track was released as a single:
45 Midnight Movers Unltd. - "Follow The Wind (Part I) Instrumental / Follow The Wind (Part II) Instrumental" (Renee REP 3004) 1972 USA
Available on YouTube (Side A & B edited together on this version):
The song was the title track on the "Midnight Movers, Unltd." -album Follow The Wind (Buddah Records BDS-5603) 1974 USA (though possibly in a different version or mix - I haven`t heard the lp track)
Johnny Starr does not seem to have been a member of the group, instead he gets a writing credit on the title track and is credited, as "Johnny Starr", with "Vocal & Guitar" on the album sleeve without any more specific detail about his exact contributions. So he may only have been involved with one track, "Follow The Wind", and not on the rest of the lp?
LP The Everyday People - The Everyday People (Red Coach Records RCL 6000) USA 1972
Johnny Starr's 1968 single "Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do", now titled "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do" and credited to "Gene Redd, Jr., Rose McCoy, John Starr", was covered by the Everyday People and released on this album in 1972. Thanks to Ken Voss for spotting this release. Though this recording of the song does not (as far as known) actually feature Johnny Starr the producer & co-author of the original Starr version, Gene Redd Jr., also produced this one.
And Gene Redd Jr. also produced and co-wrote this single:
45 Billy LaMont "Shake And Jerk / Girls, Girls, Girls" (Bang Records B-502) USA 1965
Bang Records was of course located at 1650 Broadway, the building where Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Starr would work together later in 1965. Gene Redd Jr. would go on to produce records by Kool And The Gang.
Billy LaMont released "Sweet Thang" with Jimi on guitar in 1968. Though it's still unclear exactly when Billy LaMont added his vocal part, he may have overdubbed it to the backing track without Jimi being present. See the Billy LaMont Discography and Artist -entries
There are several other records out there by "Johnny Starr" but it`s not always clear which ones might be by John Michael Arnold aka Johnni Starr aka Johnny Starr. If you know of other recordings by the "correct" Johnny Starr or have corrections to make or information to add please do let me know at
SOURCES
1 www.popsike.com/Rare-Acetate-Edwin-Starr-as-Johnny-Starr-I-Feel-Good-All-Over/331660712459.html
2 the address of Sue Records, Inc. is listed as 1650 Broadway in Billboard issue 2 May 1964 but has changed to 265 West 54th Street by Billboard issue 6 June 1964, hence the label office must have moved circa May/June 1964
3 email from "Joe the sound man" 21 April 2021 (with some changes to the spelling with Joe's permission)