When the national hits dried up, Taylor wound up as one of the most prolific artists on the Malaco label, a refuge for many Southern soul and blues veterans whose styles had fallen out of popular favor by the '80s.
Nicknamed the 'Philosopher of Soul' during his Stax days, that version of Taylor is best remembered for his 1968 R&B chart-topping smash 'Who's Making Love,' but far and away his biggest success was 1976's across-the-board number one 'Disco Lady,' the first single ever certified platinum (which at the time meant sales of over two million copies). Young gospel phenom, gritty Stax/Volt soulster, lady-killing balladeer, chart-topping disco king, Southern soul-blues stalwart - Johnnie Taylor somehow always managed to adapt to the times, and he parlayed that versatility into a recording career that lasted nearly four decades.
