Johnny Britt returns with smooth jam on "I Tried"

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    Longtime SoulTrackers know we're big fans of singer and trumpeter Johnny Britt. He was nominated for a SoulTracks Readers' Choice Award for his work as one-half of the duo Impromp2, and we've been following him ever since. Johnny has a new single coming on July 10, and we're proud to be presenting the World Premiere.  We thought we'd let Johnny tell you the backstory:

    "The year was 1993 I had just stopped working with The Temptations as their musical director. This was also right before my group Impromp2 got signed to Motown/Mojazz Records by Steve McKeever. We were working on songs and my friend Lynn Davis who used to sing with George Duke said 'Johnny I’ve got a song for you.' The first time I heard it I went straight to the piano and started writing the music. Lynn sang the original demo and I tried to pitch this new song 'I Tried'” to Toni Braxton but to no avail.

    Longtime SoulTrackers know we're big fans of singer and trumpeter Johnny Britt. He was nominated for a SoulTracks Readers' Choice Award for his work as one-half of the duo Impromp2, and we've been following him ever since. Johnny has a new single coming on July 10, and we're proud to be presenting the World Premiere.  We thought we'd let Johnny tell you the backstory:

    "The year was 1993 I had just stopped working with The Temptations as their musical director. This was also right before my group Impromp2 got signed to Motown/Mojazz Records by Steve McKeever. We were working on songs and my friend Lynn Davis who used to sing with George Duke said 'Johnny I’ve got a song for you.' The first time I heard it I went straight to the piano and started writing the music. Lynn sang the original demo and I tried to pitch this new song 'I Tried'” to Toni Braxton but to no avail.

    I always knew that this was a timeless and special song. I had just finished all of the songs for my debut CD Feels So Good and I also had a meeting with a singer name Christine Day. She was looking for material. In our meeting I played her several songs then I said I have one more that I’d like for you to hear. I went to the piano and I sang 'I Tried' to her … right away she said 'You should sing it.' I actually never thought about singing 'I Tried' because I thought it was for a girl but she insisted. Right away I went into the studio and recording the last song that almost never made my solo debut album. I called upon my good friends Ready Freddie Washington to play bass on it and the legendary guitarist Wah Wah Watson who played with Marvin Gaye to join me on this classic recording.

    This song is dear to me because I co/wrote, produced, arranged, played all of the live horns, keyboards and sang all of the background vocals. I hope that you’ll enjoy it as much as I did recording it … “I Tried”."

    We're digging this smooth jam and think you will too. It's the first single of his upcoming expanded reissue of Feels Good. So check out our newest World Premiere First Listen from the great Johnny Britt.

    Johnny Britt - "I Tried"