There was King Eric. And then there's King Errisson, who has been praised as "the unsung hero behind Motown" by Ray Singleton in her book "Berry, Me, and Motown" as well as by Berry Gordy in his book "To Be Loved".
King Errisson Pallaman Johnson, 70, who was born, October 29, 1941, and raised on New Providence in the Coconut Grove community to Pallaman Johnson (Acklins) and Josephine Johnson (Exuma), is known the world over as a master of funky disco with lots of congas.
As a session musician he has worked with a diverse group of artists representing a variety of musical styles-- Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five. He has also worked with Herb Alpert, John Klemmer, Doc Severinsen, Ringo Starr, Blood Sweat & Tears, Jim Stafford, Swamp Dogg, Barbara Streisand, David Cassidy, Bobby Darin, Nancy Wilson, Johnny Mathis, OC Smith, Lou Rawles, Hodges James and Smith, Mickey Stevenson, Barry White and The Carpenters. King Errisson was a featured member of the Incredible Bongo Band and was a member of Neil Diamond's touring band since 1976. His musical resume is indeed impressive.
And then there's his acting resume. He has appeared in the movies "Uptown Saturday Night" with Bill Cosby and fellow Bahamian Sidney Poitier, and on television in Abe Vigoda's "Fish" series and "The Watcher", the 1980 remake of "The Jazz Singer" with Neil Diamond, and of course "Thunderball" with Sean Connery.
In fact, it was "Thunderball" shot in The Bahamas that got the ball rolling for him. At the age of 23, his talent with the congas was displayed in a memorable nightclub scene in the James Bond movie. In the scene he entertains audiences in a nightclub, when he notices a gun coming through the curtains at which point he frantically ups his drumming to attract Bond's attention that there was trouble coming. Bond turns around to see what King Errisson is doing and sees the gun. He puts the woman who was setting him up to be killed in the way and the woman gets shot instead.
"That scene catapulted me. And the rest is history," said King Errisson on a recent visit to the country of his birth.
He left Nassau to study drama in Canada, formed a jazz band in New York City and spent a year performing in a Bermuda club in those early years where he met Redd Foxx who invited him to appear at his place in Los Angeles. Sammy Davis Jr. asked King Errisson to appear on the Hollywood Palace and Cannonball Adderly became his mentor in the recording studio.
Despite the fact that he has attained his three score and 10, King Errisson is still in the game. He has just released a new album entitled "Secret Life". His previous albums include "The Magic Man/L.A. Bound" "Conga Serenade", Natural Feeling", "Nice" and "Global Music". He even has a jazz album called "The King Arrives". His work can be found on Amazon, iTunes, and CDBaby.
And while the man may have left the island, he still carries a part of the island with him today. On all of his work, there's a touch of calypso, even though he writes for a universal audience.
"My music is universal because I want to sell worldwide and not just be in a box, so I write music with a broad spectrum," he said.
King Errisson has enjoyed success musically, but to ask him he still believes he hasn't made it for the simple reason that he's an artist and he's always thinking that he could have done something differently and better.
"In our business, no matter how big you are, you've never made it. You always feel within your heart or in your mind that you could have sung a song better or that you could played a piece better. I have albums right now that to other people sound fantastic, and when I listen to them I'm thinking why didn't I do this or that. Like the new album right now, everything on it is beautiful -- I love every cut I did, I love every arrangement I did -- and when I listen to it, I smile and say I still have a better one."
As for his acting career, well, he believes because he did not give in to certain influences that he never made it as far as he thought he could have.
"After Thunderball, I got a hankering to be an actor and I was really gung-ho on being the next Sidney Poitier of The Bahamas and it almost happened. It didn't happen because of my biggityness... of my Bahamian style... of my not taking [expletive] from anybody because I am from The Bahamas. In Hollywood you gatta suck it up, and I never suck it up, so they were afraid of me ... they're afraid of anybody who don't suck it up, and I know that was my downfall," he said.
But as he sought a career in film, he had already enjoyed success as a musician, and said as a result he did not have to endure any foolishness just to get a part in a movie.
"God had blessed me enough to be such a great drummer and making so much money just playing my drums," he said. Despite that King Errisson still landed bit parts here and there and did some drumming in some films to round out his resume.
His advice to youngsters seeking a career in the music industry is to always be disciplined and sincere about where they want to go and how they want to go about it.
"You have to be disciplined and you have to be ready. When I left [The Bahamas] I said to myself that I would never leave this island until I'm the best in the world and when I thought I was the best I left, and then I never had to come back. But I was also prepared that if I lived on skid row for a day I was coming back home because I know I could eat out of the neighbor's potcake, rather than stay on skid row and sleep in box carts and stuff like that. I left here with that in mind, knowing that if I had to come back I could always come back because I have a home."
King Errison makes it a point to return home at least twice per year.

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