Songwriter Johntá Austin looks back on the most successful songs of his career -- from Mary J. Blige's 'Be Without You' to Mariah Carey's 'We Belong Together.'
Austin's admiration for music began in his hometown of Atlanta, where he spent many weekends at church and his godmother's house. While helping her clean, he was introduced to classic Motown artists like Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Jackson 5. He originally thought becoming a doctor was the right career path, but an appearance on in 1994 reminded him of his true passion.
Below, Austin journeys through his career and shares the stories -- in his own words -- behind some of his most successful hits withMy manager Chris Higgs had a connection with [Blackground Records founder] Barry Hankerson, who is Aaliyah's uncle and managed Toni Braxton at that time as well. We started out working with Aaliyah and Toni was coming off her hugealbum, so it was a really big deal. We eventually got in the studio and "Just Be a Man About It" was entirely her concept.
I wasn't in the studio with her, but I remember hearing it for the first time. When she hit that note at the end, it's like "Woah, we got one!" It came out crazy and the rest was history! I knew it was going to be a hit, but not at the level that it went on to become. And of course, the Grammy wins [for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance] were just icing on the cake.
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