From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Mon Feb 3, 2003  6:18 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Johnny Cymbal
 
JOHNNY CYMBAL

Born 2 February 1945, Ochiltree, Scotland
Died 16 March 1993, Nashville, Tennessee

Scottish-born Johnny Cymbal and his family moved to Goderich, Ontario,
in 1952, and then to Cleveland, Ohio in 1960. Johnny started singing at 13,
taught himself the guitar, and later wore an assortment of musical hats :
singer/songwriter, producer, and musical director, among others. At 15,
MGM Records signed Cymbal and shuttled him to Nashville, where he cut
two singles that flopped, ending the brief association. One of them was
"Always, Always"/"It'll Be Me", which was also released in the UK and the
Netherlands. Managed by Jack Gale, Cymbal cut more singles for different
labels, almost having an unexpected hit from a demo entitled "Bachelor
Man."
He did score in 1963 on Kapp Records with "Mr. Bass Man," (# 16) which
featured Ronnie Bright (then a member of the Valentines, in 1968 the
replacement for Dub Jones as bass singer with the Coasters) responding
in bass to Cymbal's high-pitched questions. The follow-up, the death song
"Teenage Heaven," stalled outside Billboard's pop Top 40 at # 58. (British
reviewer Don Nicholl of DISC weekly found it so tasteless that he gave it
zero stars, the only disc ever to get this "honour".) Cymbal switched labels,
but nothing clicked at DCP, Columbia, Musicor, or Amaret, but you can't
say he didn't try or get opportunities.
Labels gave him shots because he hit once and could write and produce
(if necessary); five tool recording artists were rare in the '60s. Labels began
using his skills on other artists, but Cymbal still sought the limelight and
began recording under various pseudonyms. His Milk sides for Buddah
Records didn't fly, but as Derek he had better luck. Derek, Cymbal's brother,
played in his band, but the recording voice was Johnny's. As Derek, Johnny
cut "Cinnamon" on Bang Records and watched it soar to # 11 in 1968, even
eclipsing the success of "Mr. Bass Man." This was a very successful period
for Cymbal; he also wrote "Mary in the Morning," for Elvis Presley and was
writing for Gene Pitney, Terri Gibbs, Mae West, the Partridge Family, and
others. Derek's follow-up, "Back Door Man," braked at number 59, and
successors fared even worse. Johnny's brother Derek toured as Derek while
he engrossed himself in studio work, but soon Derek played out. Cymbal
became Taurus in 1969 on Tower Records, and later Brother John on A&M.
The recordings didn't sell well and Cymbal hooked up with Cynthia Clinger
and waxed duets as Cymbal and Clinger. He moved to Nashville and recorded
occasional singles until the late '80s. Songwriting became his most gainful
occupation during these times and Cymbal's compositions regularly graced
the country charts. The multi-talented artist died of a heart attack at the age
of 48.

(Adapted from All Music Guide.)