Strawberry Letter #23 - Brothers Johnson (1977) 5/2/22

Shuggie Otis may not be a name you're familiar with, but he was responsible for today's "Great Song of 1977."

From the late 1930s, right up to the turn of the century, Johnny Otis was a singer, musician, composer, arranger, bandleader, talent scout, disc jockey, record producer, television show host, artist, author, journalist, minister, and impresario. Johnny was also called "The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues." Obviously, his list of accomplishments was long and varied...but one of his proudest productions was his son, Shuggie.

By the late '60s and early '70s, Shuggie had become a talented singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist. He released several albums...and in 1977, one of his songs caught the ear of George Johnson of the Brothers Johnson, who was dating one of Shuggie's cousins.

"Strawberry Letter #23" was unique in lyrical structure. The chorus mentions "strawberry letter #22," which seems confusing, until you realize that the singer is composing #23 in response to a series of "Strawberry Letters" he had been exchanging with his girlfriend.

The Brothers Johnson version was produced by Quincy Jones, and reached #1 on Billboard's R&B Chart, as well as #5 on the Hot 100!

As a unique marketing device, the single was released in a strawberry-scented" sleeve. For club use, a 12-inch single was released in red strawberry-scented vinyl. I still have a copy of the 12-inch version, but the scent faded away long ago.

"Strawberry Letter #23:" written by Johnny's boy Shuggie, and a "Great Song of 1977" by the Brothers Johnson.