The Artistics
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Biography
The Artistics were an American soul musical group formed in 1958 at Marshall High School in Chicago, Illinois. The original lineup included Curt Thomas (lead), Larry Johnson (first tenor), Jesse Bolian (second tenor), and Aaron Floyd (baritone bass). In 1960, Curt Thomas was replaced by Robert Dobyne as lead singer. The Artistics performed at the Democratic National Convention and began singing backup for Major Lance. In 1963, they signed with OKeh Records under producer Carl Davis. Their first local hit was "Get My Hands On Some Lovin'", co-written by Marvin Gaye. This success was followed by "This Heart of Mine", written by Barrett Strong, which reached Number 25 on the Billboard R&B chart in late 1965. After moving to Brunswick Records, The Artistics achieved their biggest hit with "I'm Gonna Miss You" in 1966, which peaked at Number 9 on the R&B chart and Number 55 on the pop chart. Marvin Smith, who had taken over lead vocal duties, left for a solo career before this success, and was replaced by Tommy Green.
The group released several albums, including I'm Gonna Miss You (1967), The Articulate Artistics (1968), and What Happened (1969). Their last chart record was "Make My Life Over" in 1971. The Artistics disbanded shortly after leaving Brunswick Records in 1973. Notable posthumous releases include the reissues of I'm Gonna Miss You and The Articulate Artistics on CD in 1998, and a compilation CD issued the following year. The group was briefly reformed by Marvin Smith the following year. Larry Johnson died in June 2015.
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