Jellybean Johnson, Minneapolis music legend, dies at 69

Jellybean Johnson on the Minneapolis Sound

North Minneapolis is the birthplace of what is known as the ?Minneapolis sound.? Pioneered by Prince, a long legacy of local musicians also contributed to the music. Fox 9's Bisi Onile-Ere sat down for a one-on-one interview with legendary guitarist and drummer Jellybean Johnson. "If there?s one word that you could use to describe the Minneapolis sound, what would it be," asked Bisi. Johnson responded laughing, "Funky."

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Jellybean Johnson, a Minneapolis music legend, is dead at 69 years old. 

Legacy of Jellybean Johnson

Family statement:

Loved ones shared the following statement:

"The family of Jellybean Johnson is deeply saddened by the passing of their beloved husband and father. Passing just shortly after his 69th birthday this past Wednesday, November 19, on the evening of Friday November 21, 2025. 

"Jellybean was an innovator of what became known across the world as the Minneapolis Sound. 

"The only drummer the Time ever had from inception to the current day. Jellybean loved his family his friends and the city of Minneapolis."

You can donate and learn more at the minneapolissoundmuseum.org.

Jellybean Johnson reflects on music journey from birth of Minneapolis sound to new album

Jellybean Johnson helped put the Minneapolis Sound on the map. Now decades later, his music continues to influence some of the biggest artists.

Minneapolis music legend:

Known for his role as a founding member of Prince's band, "The Time," Jellybean Johnson was an iconic part of Minneapolis music history and a pioneer of the "Minneapolis Sound."

When asked to describe the Minneapolis Sound in one word, Jellybean responded, with a laugh, "Funky." 

His role as a larger-than-life guitarist and drummer was instrumental in creating the blend of rock, R&B and funk that emerged from the city's northside in the late 1970s. 

"The Minneapolis sound is Prince," said Johnson in an interview with FOX 9 in 2023. 

At 64-years old, he released a new album called "Get Experienced. The Jellybean Johnson Experience."

READ MORE: Jellybean Johnson reflects on music journey from birth of 'Minneapolis Sound' to new album

Jellybean Johnson performs at the Minnesota Music Cafe in St. Paul amid the pandemic. (FOX 9)

Early life:

Garry "Jellybean" Johnson grew up in Chicago. At 13, his mom moved the family to north Minneapolis for a better life. To keep Garry out of trouble, she bought him his first real drum kit. He learned to play by listening to the radio. 

"When I moved here, Black radio was only on for four hours from 1 to 5 in the afternoon," said Jellybean. "That forced me to listen to a lot of white rock stations and that's how I got into Three Dog Night and Black Sabbath and Red Earth and all those kinds of people and stuff and that changed me too musically."

As a teenager, he found friends in the neighborhood with a similar passion for music. We now know them as Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Morris Day and Prince.  

His music career began young. "We had to be 14, 15,16 years old. Oh yeah, we started early honey. Yes, we did," said Johnson. His love of music kept him busy. "That kept us off the streets, we had a place where we could go and practice our craft," said Johnson.

Like Prince, Johnson got his start in north Minneapolis. "We had rival bands when we were growing up. Prince had Grand Central, and we had Flyte Tyme," said Johnson.

He is an original member of Flyte Tyme, and longtime drummer for The Time. From Prince to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to Morris Day, Johnson stood among the greats. 

Once Prince signed his first record deal at 18, he brought some of his northside friends along. Prince created "The Time," made Jellybean the drummer and put them on the map in Purple Rain. 

"Prince told Morris, 'You go back and get Jellybean and we'll do the band and you're gonna sing,'" said Jellybean. "And Morris was like, 'I don't want to sing, I want to play the drums.' And he was like, 'No, I'll teach you.'"

It was the '80s and the Minneapolis Sound was reinventing pop music. Behind the scenes Prince's bands, including The Time, were falling apart. Eventually Jellybean turned to producing. He went to work for Flyte Time records and his old friends Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who at the time were working with Janet Jackson. 

"We were doing 'Rhythm Nation' and we got to the end of 'Rhythm Nation' and Janet came with this song. It was this little bar phrase on a cassette you know. But it was on a piano, you know," said Jellybean. "So Janet brought that to me and I was like, wow you know, and I told her I said you know your brother has 'Beat It' and 'Dirty Diana' and all that stuff I said it'd be really cool if you had like a hard rock anthem."

So Jellybean turned the piano into an electric guitar and that little bar phrase became the number one hit, 'Black Cat'. 

"I told Janet I said I want you to sound like a rock and roll queen on that," he said. "Now I wasn't sure that she knew what the hell I was talking about. It turned out she did. We kicked everybody out of Flyte Time, her boyfriend, everybody. Kicked everybody out, just me and her and which is good in a way because to get that kind of sound you gotta be really, really loud."

What's next:

Jellybean's legacy lives on at the Minneapolis Sound Museum, which he founded with his partner.