The night I met Johnny he played me a polished recording he'd made in Memphis. The song was called "Provin' Time," and the featured lyric was "if I can't love myself, I can't love nobody else." The record was first-rate though it never was released as far as I know. It was just a tape he made hoping to get a deal.

Years later, I went to a Shamika Copeland concert (his daughter). I told a roadie about my previous association with Shamika's father. And after the show he brought her over to meet me.

It was obvious that she was incredulous that this white boy ever knew her father. So I hit her with "and your old man had this tape of a song called "Provin' Time' that was really good."

Shamika shot me a look. At that moment, she knew I wasn't full of crap and warmed up considerably.