Captain Johnny Johnson, who led The Techniques on songs like Travelling Man and It’s You I Love , died in Miami, Florida, on January 9. He was 76 years old.

His son, Jaimie, told the Jamaica Observer that his father died of heart failure. He had recently recovered from the coronavirus.

A 19-year veteran of the Jamaica Defence Force, he was born Rupert Alexander Johnson and grew up in Trench Town during the 1960s when that community was bursting with musical energy.

He was lead singer of Johnny and The Attractions before his stint with The Techniques, one of the leading groups of the rocksteady era.

Johnson’s tenor led the trio on Travelling Man, one of their biggest hits, and the delightful It’s You I Love. Both songs were produced by Duke Reid at Treasure Isle in the late 1960s.

After leaving the army, Johnson established himself as a computer programmer for Alcoa, Workers Bank and Eagle Commercial Bank. In the 1990s, he, Pat Kelly and Lloyd Parks had a strong comeback with a revived version of The Techniques which performed regularly on rocksteady shows such as Rocksteady Reunion Heineken Startime.

Michael Barnett, founder of Heineken Startime, described Johnson, a former bodybuilder, as “A very humble, imposing person. A very impressive brother.”

Twenty years ago, Johnson migrated to the United States and settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where he operated the Johnny’s Jerk restaurant.

Captain Rupert Alexander “Johnny” Johnson is survived by four children and six grandchildren. He will be cremated.