Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson is a Liverpool-born singer, writer, musician and painter. Born William Johnson in 1960, he also uses the name William Holly Johnson. He is active in the Liverpool punk rock and new wave scene and plays bass in Big in Japan before becoming best known as the lead singer and lyricist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Early work and Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Johnson releases solo singles on Eric’s label before joining Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The group achieves major commercial success and notoriety in the early 1980s. He leaves the band in 1987 after becoming unhappy with its musical direction. After his departure, ZTT Records seeks to prevent him from releasing solo material through MCA Records because of his earlier recording agreement.

Legal dispute and solo recording

Johnson pursues a lengthy legal case against ZTT, which is settled in his favour in 1989. The ruling finds that the original contract amounts to an unreasonable restraint of trade, and the case is regarded as a significant legal result in the music industry. His relationship with ZTT owners Trevor Horn and Jill Sinclair breaks down during the dispute.

He then releases his first solo album, Blast, which reaches number one in the UK and produces three hit singles. His second solo album, Dreams That Money Can't Buy, follows in 1991. After leaving MCA, he continues recording through his own Pleasuredome label, including the 1999 album Soulstream, which contains a re-recording of “The Power Of Love”, his best-known song. His three MCA albums are later made available on iTunes via Universal.

Writing, health and visual art

Johnson publishes an autobiography, A Bone In My Flute, in 1994. In November of 1991 he discovers that he is HIV positive, and his condition becomes public in 1993. He withdraws temporarily from the music business and public life.

Since the mid-1990s, he works mainly as a painter. His work is exhibited at Tate Liverpool and The Royal Academy. He also contributes to Modern Painters and to CARLOS, a magazine sponsored by Paul Smith.