{"id":3504,"date":"2023-07-20T13:31:49","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T17:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=3504"},"modified":"2023-07-20T13:58:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T17:58:39","slug":"pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-41-no-6\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\/","title":{"rendered":"PEF Retiree writes new book based on founding member of Blue Magic R&B group\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PEFJuly 28, 2023 —<\/em> Former New York State Parole Officer and PEF Retiree Anthony Johnson has authored a new book based on the life of Wendell Sawyer, the lead singer of the R&B and Soul music group Blue Magic.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The book is titled \u201cMy Life Was a Sideshow: The Biography of Wendell Sawyer, Original Member of Legendary Vocal Group Blue Magic.\u201d The title is a reference to one of the group\u2019s most popular songs: \u201cSideshow.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson published his first book in 2016 called \u201cOne Man\u2019s Journey: The Experiences of an African American N.Y. State Parole Officer.\u201d In that book, he took his own experiences as an officer and made them into a fictional story starring the main character Terrance \u201cEnd Zone\u201d Jackson. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was while working on the sequel to \u201cOne Man\u2019s Journey\u201d that Johnson received a call from Sawyer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA mutual friend of my wife reached out and she gave Wendell my book,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cHe called me up and asked me to help write his story.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of three-and-a-half years, even throughout the pandemic, Johnson and Sawyer worked closely together to get all the details of Sawyer\u2019s life on paper or on tape. The two would meet for roughly three hours a day and work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the change of genre from fiction to memoir, Johnson felt a personal connection to the book and to Sawyer.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe both grew up and Philadelphia,\u201d he said. \u201cHis music, the group, that was my era. I have always been a Blue Magic fan. I love their music.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson describes the book as a \u201ctell all,\u201d starting with Wendell Sawyer\u2019s upbringing in Philadelphia all the way through his journey as a student exploring music and singing and ultimately forming Blue Magic.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The book also details the group\u2019s run-ins with other legendary musicians and entertainers, like The Temptations, Richard Pryor and Ike and Tina Turner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a very interesting piece of his story where the group ends up opening for and performing much better than Ike and Tina,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWhen they got on stage the crowd was chanting for Blue Magic instead!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the highs of Sawyer\u2019s life and the R&B group\u2019s success, the book also deals with the lows.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was painfully honest with me,\u201d Johnson said about Sawyer. \u201cThere were times when I even thought he might cry.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sawyer was only 19 when he signed his first contract. In addition to knowing nothing about money at such a young age, Sawyer struggled with drugs and navigating the harsh music industry without any advice or help.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The book is not just a good read for those interested in Sawyer\u2019s life, but anyone who is a big music fan.\u00a0 Johnson writes about Sawyer\u2019s journey through the popular music of each decade.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a music lover, I was impressed with how Wendell broke down the progression of R&B from the doo-wop time of the 50s, to Motown of the 60s, and to his groups\u2019 time of the balladeers in the 70s. Disco soon followed and hurt the slow love music that his group performed.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy Life Was a Sideshow: The Biography of Wendell Sawyer, Original Member of Legendary Vocal Group Blue Magic\u201d publishes in September and will be available for sale wherever books are sold or on Amazon. Interested readers can also visit Johnson\u2019s website at <\/span>AnthonyJohnsonBooks.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

July 28, 2023 — Former New York State Parole Officer and PEF Retiree Anthony Johnson has authored a new book based on the life of Wendell Sawyer, the lead singer…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"division":[],"allowed_regions":[],"allowed_divisions":[],"class_list":["post-3504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-volume-41-no-6"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPEF Retiree writes new book based on founding member of Blue Magic R&B group\u00a0 - PEF Communicator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-41-no-6\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PEF Retiree writes new book based on founding member of Blue Magic R&B group\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"July 28, 2023 — Former New York State Parole Officer and PEF Retiree Anthony Johnson has authored a new book based on the life of Wendell Sawyer, the lead singer...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-41-no-6\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PEF Communicator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-20T17:31:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-20T17:58:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/Book-Story-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ccanham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ccanham\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-6\\\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-6\\\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ccanham\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0677b03b1fcdadfe00f4e905b97b90e4\"},\"headline\":\"PEF Retiree writes new book based on founding member of Blue Magic R&B group\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-20T17:31:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-20T17:58:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-6\\\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":589,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-6\\\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/Book-Story-1.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-6\\\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-41-no-6\\\/pef-retiree-writes-new-book-based-on-founding-member-of-blue-magic-rb-music-group\\\/\",\"name\":\"PEF Retiree writes new book based on founding member of Blue Magic R&B group\u00a0 - 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