HOLLYWOOD, California—Fans of adult movies know him as Will Ryder, but before he gave the porn parody a reboot in 2007 with Not the Bradys XXX (Hustler Video), Ryder was better known as Jeff Mullen. Working in the music business, Mullen managed various clients and cultivated a love of music that has born fruit in his adult career, as evidenced by two recent AVN Awards wins: Best Soundtrack in 2015 for Not Jersey Boys XXX: A Porn Musical and Best Song in 2014 for Not the Wizard of Oz XXX.
Recently one of his clients passed away, and Ryder/Mullen shares his reminiscences below from his office at his production company All Media Play.
Mullen would not say if the Brothers Johnson had ever contributed to any of his award-winning porn music scores but did hint at the subject. "I've had some pretty famous people in the recording studio playing on some of my movies so I ask, if you were friends with two of the greatest musicians of all time what would you do?"
Musician Louis Johnson has passed away in Las Vegas, leaving a legacy of music that touched millions. From hit records with Michael Jackson to Paul McCartney, Johnson was the originator of the slap bass technique that so many tried to imitate but nobody could quite duplicate. He formed one half of the ’70s and ’80s funk R&B act The Brothers Johnson, famous for hit songs “Strawberry Letter 23,” “Stomp” and “I'll Be Good to You.”
Louis Johnson was definitely one of a kind and influenced thousands of musicians worldwide, most notably bass players with his aggressive, funky style that can be heard on some of the biggest hit records of all time. I'm gonna miss him and so will the world of music.
Johnson first came to prominence when Quincy Jones brought him and his brother guitarist George Johnson into the studio to work on recordings paving the way for A&M records to sign The Brothers Johnson to an artist deal. The two teamed with Jones to release some of the funkiest music to ever come out of Los Angeles. Both George and Louis were also in-demand session players, with Louis Johnson being a staple on the mega-hit Michael Jackson albums Off the Wall and Thriller.
I can just listen to those records, especially Off the Wall, and hear Louis bringing those tracks to life. His influence in the music world is striking. Ask any musician especially a bass player and they will have a story about listening to Louis.
Social media first reported the death with news traveling quickly globally.
I first started to work as the manager of the Brothers Johnson with Louis and his talented brother George about the same time I started working for New Sensations back in 2001 as their head of PR & marketing. I remember company owner Scott Taylor allowing me to leave the office whenever I needed to travel with the band and do my managerial duties when we played cities across America. I would often depart on a Thursday and be back to work Monday morning having worked concerts in two or three cities over the weekend.
Former New Sensations and Hustler licensing broker Chris Camacho remembers hearing the band. "One day Jeff brings me to the rehearsal studio in North Hollywood and I'm like ten feet away from two of the greatest musicians ever and the band is just tearing up the joint. It was a sonic explosion. I'm also a lifelong bass player so it was unbelievable to witness them in person and then on Monday Jeff would be back in the office like it was no big deal," Camacho reflected. "Louis was the man, so it's sad to hear of his passing."
Hustler creative director Drew Rosenfeld also witnessed the band up close on the road. "I remember some years back Jeff and I traveled to St. Louis to shoot a documentary on porn stars feature dancing and then the next morning we rent a car and drive to Louisville, Kentucky, because the Brothers Johnson had a big concert on the waterfront in front of fifteen thousand people and Jeff had to work it. It was cool to see the prep taking place as Louis and George Johnson are doing interviews backstage and there's Mullen climbing all over the stage hooking up amps and guitars and getting the sound just right. They were quite contentious brothers and it's just sad to hear that Louis is gone," Rosenfeld offered.
It was a glorious run and in all my previous years in the music business I've never worked with or heard a funkier band. We were the first ones to ever do a live concert broadcast on XM Satellite Radio. There were so many great moments because The Brothers Johnson were explosive, volatile and damn good and now George and the band will carry on the tradition without his younger brother.
Services for Louis Johnson are pending.
Check out the Brothers Johnson on YouTube here and here.
Contact Mulllen at [email protected].
