Garry George “Jellybean” Johnson, a founding member of the legendary funk band The Time, has passed away. He was 69.
According to an official statement from his family, Johnson passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, Nov.21.
“The family of Jellybean Johnson is deeply saddened by the passing of their beloved husband and father,” the family’s statement read. “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, the statement continued. “Jellybean loved his family, his friends and the city of Minneapolis.”
Born in Chicago, Johnson relocated to north Minneapolis with his mother at 19. To keep him out of trouble, she bought him a real drum kit. He honed his skills by listening to the radio.
“When I moved here, Black radio was only on for four hours from 1 to 5 in the afternoon,” Jellybean said. “That forced me to listen to a lot of white rock stations. 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.”
Johnson would eventually meet other teenage musicians such as Prince, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Morris Day.
“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.
Johnsons would go on to form The Time with Jam, Lewis, Monte Moir, Jesse Johnson, and Jerome Benton. They would go on to record several albums and classic songs, including “Get It Up”, “The Bird”, “Cool”, “777-9311”, “Jungle Love” and “Jerk Out”.
Outside of his work with The Time, Johnson produced Janet Jackson’s 1990 No. 1 single ‘Black Cat’. He also produced and served as a drummer for Patti LaBelle, Human League, New Edition, Cherrelle and Alexander O’Neal.
Johnson performed with Rihanna at the 50th Grammy Awards and was the frontman of the Jellybean Johnson Experience. The group spotlighted emerging musicians from Minneapolis.
Johnson also founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum in 2022. The vision was to “educate, celebrate and create, while also providing an environment to learn, gather and showcase artistry that preserves and fosters the Minneapolis Sound genre.”
