Minneapolis Sound legend Jellybean Johnson passes at 69
Jellybean Johnson performed at The Capri Theater in 2023 to help promote the creation of a museum dedicated to the Minneapolis Sound. Photo by Azhae’la Hanson
By Azhae’la Hanson, Reporter
The Minneapolis music community is mourning the loss of Garry “Jellybean” Johnson, the legendary drummer, guitarist, and producer who helped pioneer the Minneapolis Sound.
Johnson, the drummer for Morris Day and the Time, passed away on Friday, Nov. 21, just two days after celebrating his 69th birthday.
On his birthday, he wrote a Facebook post reflecting on nearly seven decades of life, music, and community. Now, among his final words, it reads as a sweet farewell.
“I've been blessed to live a life shaped by music, community, and the love of people who believed in me long before the world knew my name,” he wrote. “When I look back, I don't first think about the big stages or awards — I think about The Way… that little community center on the North Side of Minneapolis where a bunch of young kids picked up instruments and discovered who we were meant to be.”
News of his passing spread quickly Friday evening, prompting an outpouring of grief across social media. Fans and fellow musicians described him as a beautiful soul, thoughtful, generous, and immensely talented.
He didn’t just play the Minneapolis Sound. He was one of its defining pulses. When he played, you moved, and you were moved. He possessed a gift that made you slap your leg and raise goosebumps on your arms.
Johnson, born in Chicago in 1956, moved to North Minneapolis at age 13. A radio and a pair of drumsticks became his teachers. It wasn’t long before his talent drew him into the same orbit as Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and a young Prince. The group played their funky ballads to the North Minneapolis community. North Commons, The Way, and in small rehearsal rooms in basements were where big dreams took shape.
Those jam sessions eventually culminated in The Time, the band that would help define the Minneapolis Sound, a genre-bending fusion of funk, pop, and rock.
As The Time’s drummer, Johnson became known not just for his precision, but for his electricity. Later, as a producer with Flyte Tyme Records, he continued shaping music that rippled far beyond Minnesota.
In recent years, Johnson performed as a guitarist and was dreaming right up until the end.
One of those dreams was the creation of a Minneapolis Sound Museum, a project he championed tirelessly. He envisioned a place that honored the pioneers who built the sound, preserved their stories, and ensured young artists had access to the same kind of creative spaces that shaped his life.
“I want our story protected, I want our community honored, I want the next generation to have what we had: access, opportunity, and a place to belong,” he wrote in his final post.
This is a developing story.