Johnny Ross was a multi instrumentalist, singer songwriter and founding member of Baby Huey & the Babysitters

Baby Huey & the Babysitters

Baby Huey & the Babysitters were a soul band hailing from Gary, Indiana and founded in 1963 by organist / trumpeter Melvyn "Deacon" Jones and guitarist Johnny Ross. James Ramey became their front man and adopted the stage name of Baby Huey which was after the Baby Huey duck character...

 who died in 2006 as a result of appendicitis. He also hosted his own cable television show.

Biography

Along with Melvyn "Deacon" Jones

Melvyn "Deacon" Jones

Melvyn "Deacon" Jones is an organ player and founding member of Baby Huey & the Babysitters.-Biography:In 1963 along with Johnny Ross and Jimmy Ramey aka Baby Huey, Jones formed Baby Huey & the Babysitters who went on to become a well known live attraction in Chicago...

 and James Ramey aka Baby Huey, Ross was a founding member of Baby Huey & the Babysitters

Baby Huey & the Babysitters

Baby Huey & the Babysitters were a soul band hailing from Gary, Indiana and founded in 1963 by organist / trumpeter Melvyn "Deacon" Jones and guitarist Johnny Ross. James Ramey became their front man and adopted the stage name of Baby Huey which was after the Baby Huey duck character...

. He stayed with the Babysitters for nearly a decade and during that time he wrote two of their songs, "Monkey Man" and "Just Being Careful". "Monkey Man" appears on numerous 60's various artists compilations including Pittsburghs Greatest Hits, Teenage Shutdown: Jump, Jive and Harmonize, Mad Mike's Monstors Vol 3

After he left the Babysitters he went solo and recorded some soul singles, "I Can't Help Myself

I Can't Help Myself

"I Can't Help Myself" is a single by American country music artist Eddie Rabbitt. Released in 1977, it was the first single from the album Rabbitt. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.-Chart performance:...

" which appears on a Northern Soul

Northern soul

Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...

 dance compilation.

In later years

From the early 1990s until the time of his death Ross and his wife managed Ross Music and Video Productions. He was also scoring music for television shows, commercials etc. Sears, Mattel Toys were among the brands that he did music for.

He also had a cable television show Creating Music that ran for ten years. Among the guests that he had on his show were, Mo' Beat Blues, members of Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

's extended family to Gary

Gary, Indiana

Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...

 Mayor Scott King who played bass to members of The Spaniels

The Spaniels

The Spaniels were an American R&B doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group...

.

From the early 2000s he branched out to doing the soundtracks for movies. Two were for Fred "The Hammer" Williamson

Fred Williamson

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s.-Football career:...

. They were Down 'n Dirty and On The Edge

On The Edge

On The Edge was a collectible card game released in 1994, not long after Magic: The Gathering. The setting and characters were based on the RPG titled Over the Edge...

.

In addition to music, Ross also ran security and he had served as head of security for many municipal events and he also personally handled security for Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...

, the widow of Dr Martin Luther King.

Discography

• Johnny Ross & The Soul Explosions - "I Can't Help Myself / Sore Loser - Chirrup 1523
• Electric City Featuring Johnny Ross - "Gemini" / "We're Gonna Make It" - 20th Century Fox TC-2360 - 1977

Compilation

• Northern Soul Story 4 - Soul Supply Records LPSD 121 - 1987 - Johnny Ross & The Soul Explosions - I Can't Help Myself (2 LP)
• Northern Soul Dance Party Goldmine GSCD46 - Johnny Ross & the Soul Explosion - "I Can't Help Myself"
• Down 'n Dirty (Soundtrack) - Select-O-Hits - 2000