George Johnson was born in 1927 in a small cabin in Mississippi. When he was two years old, his family moved to Chicago, where he would later become one of the most successful black entrepreneurs in American history. Johnson started his career selling cosmetics door-to-door for a company called Fuller Products. In 1954, he and his wife Joan used a $250 loan to start their own business, the Johnson Products Company.
Johnson's company developed a hair relaxer called Ultra Wave, then Ultra Sheen, a popular formula for women, and later, as styles changed, Afro Sheen. By the mid-1960s, Johnson Products controlled about 80% of the black hair care market. Johnson also sponsored a Chicago-based show called Soul Train, which soon became a national phenomenon, airing for 35 years. He was a pioneer in the business world and helped many people. Johnson also started a bank in Chicago, which was one of the first and largest black-owned banks in America.
George Johnson died at the age of 99. He was a very important person in American history. The Joan and George Johnson Program Room was opened in his honor. Johnson will be remembered as a trailblazer who helped many people and changed the world of business. His legacy will live on, and he will always be remembered as a successful black entrepreneur.
