John L. McKinney

Rhythm & blues and soul singer, producer, and songwriter. Also released songs under the names Lee McKinney and Johnny Lemac . Born Jan. 7, 1936 in Fayetteville, Tennessee Died Oct. 17, 2010 in Jackson , Michigan McKinney was born in Fayetteville, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 1936, to Lilbern and Louella McKinney. The family later moved to Albion, Mich., where McKinney became a star athlete at Washington Gardner High School and picked up a guitar for the first time. McKinney started a band known as John McKinney & The Premiers, performing lead vocals. He wrote and produced most of his songs and recorded "Angels in the Sky" in 1957. The song attracted a large audience and is still played in Europe today, his family said. McKinney eventually became Johnny Lemac and performed with The Magnetics (7) and The Ox, also releasing tracks as Lee McKinney. Following his initial success came hits like "2764913" and "4041116". In 1963, McKinney moved to Chicago and became a teacher. When he wasn't traveling to Milwaukee to help jail inmates earn a GED, he was back on the South Side combing through sheet music at Clifford Griffin's music shop. The pair struck up a conversation, and soon after Griffin hired McKinney to serve as manager of his store, Musicville, on the 11000 block of South Michigan Avenue. A few years later, McKinney moved down the street to run Sound Post, but after a year of operating the franchise, McKinney decided to open his own shop, McKinney Music, in 1976. Griffin, a jazz bassist, followed him, and they became business partners, along with music teacher Norman "Doc" Jones. An R&B artist who most enjoyed Marvin Gaye and Motown, McKinney turned down the music industry to run a small business, Griffin said.