#2: Patches by Chairmen of the Board
City: Swift Current, SK
Radio Station: CKSW
Peak Month: November 1970
Peak Position in Swift Current ~ #1
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #38
YouTube: “Patches”
Lyrics: “Patches”
General Norman Johnson was born in 1941, in Norfolk, Virginia. “General” was his first name, not a military name, stage name or nickname. He began singing in choirs at the age of six. In 1953, Johnson formed The Humdingers. They were recorded by Atlantic Records in 1956, but their four singles were not released. In 1961, the group changed its name to The Showmen. They moved to New Orleans from Norfolk (VA) and were signed to Minit Records and Allen Toussaint produced fifteen of their singles. General Norman Johnson was the lead singer for The Showmen. They had a minor pop and R&B hit in 1961 titled “It Will Stand”. Johnson left The Showmen in 1968 and subsequently formed Chairmen of the Board.