George E. Johnson, Sr. lived to be 99 years old, leaving behind one of the greatest entrepreneurial legacies in American business history. His was a real rag to riches story. He was the epitome of an old-fashioned entrepreneur—a visionary who believed that hard work, integrity, innovation, and faith could overcome barriers that others considered impossible.
I remember the excitement in his voice when he told me he had completed his memoir, Afro Sheen: How I Revolutionized an Industry with the Golden Rule, from Soul Train to Wall Street, written with Hilary Beard. He started his memoirs when he was 94 years old with the help of his wife, Madelyn. He told me he wrote the book because, as he simply said, “God told me to tell my story.”
I shared his excitement. I visited George and Madelyn in their home and promised to help introduce the book to a wider audience. N’DIGO STUDIO produced a special two-part interview, and we organized three book celebrations—one at Northern Trust hosted by Lyle Logan, another at the Hyatt Corporate Offices with Tyronne Stoudemire, and another gathering of friends and admirers who came together to celebrate a remarkable life organized by Craig Wimberly.
Click here to watch the extensive interviews with Mr. Johnson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PsYomQSjC4&t=52s
Today, as we remember George Johnson, it is not only his success that deserves our admiration. It is the timeless business lessons he leaves behind. Ariel Capital, John Rogers, a Johnson mentee, said it best: “Mr. Johnson was who you wanted to be.”
Mr, Johnson gave me my first significant well paying PR account. He was celebrating his 25th business anniversary. The “Great Beautiful Black Women” project was a landmark 1978 public relations and cultural initiative by Johnson Products.
Spearheaded to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary, it featured a series of portrait paintings by famed artist Paul Collins that paid tribute to Black women and redefined traditional concepts of beauty. The project featured Beautiful Black women with a rightful definition of the concept of “beauty“. The women included the Queen of Sheba, Harriet Tubman, Coretta Scott King, Marian Anderson, Madame C. J. Walker, Mary McCloud Bethune, Wilma Rudolph, and Rosa Parks among them. The exhibit traveled the country in top museums. It opened in Chicago at The Cultural Center and traveled to Lincoln Center in New York, The Frederick Douglas Museum in Washington, and Spelman College in Atlanta.
Lesson One: Live by the Golden Rule…
George Johnson’s guiding principle was simple:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
He lived by the Golden Rule. It was the foundation of his business philosophy. He treated employees, customers, vendors, and competitors with dignity and respect. His integrity became one of his greatest business assets.
Lesson Two: Find a Mentor and Never Stop Learning…
George Johnson often credited his mentor, Samuel B. Fuller, founder of the Fuller Products Company, for teaching him the fundamentals of business.
Johnson spent ten years as a chemist developing beauty products—from hair preparations to cosmetics to lipstick. Under Fuller’s guidance, he learned product development, manufacturing, marketing, salesmanship, and business management. Those lessons stayed with him throughout his life and prepared him for his future endeavors.
Great entrepreneurs never stop learning, and George Johnson never forgot the man who helped shape his journey.
Lesson Three: Know Your Market Better Than Anyone Else…
Johnson’s first successful product was Ultra Wave, a hair relaxer for men.
Many of his early customers were entertainers such as Nat King Cole, Jackie Wilson, and Sammy Davis Jr., who popularized the “processed” hairstyle of the era.
As he traveled from barbershop to barbershop selling his products, he noticed something others overlooked.
There were far more beauty salons than barber shops.
That observation changed everything.
Instead of remaining focused on men’s grooming products, he pivoted toward women’s hair care. Ultra Sheen became one of the most successful Black-owned beauty brands in America, capturing 80% of the market.
George Johnson understood something every entrepreneur should remember:
Your customers will tell you where your next opportunity is—if you pay attention.
Lesson Four: Market to the Community You Serve…
George Johnson understood Black consumers because he was us.
He invested his advertising dollars where his customers were. His products appeared in EBONY, JET, ESSENCE, Black newspapers, Black radio, Black television, and Black-owned advertising agencies. He hired Black models, photographers, graphic artists, and marketing professionals with companies like Vince Cullers and Burrell Advertising.
When Black hair fashion shifted during the late 1960s and Black Americans embraced natural hairstyles, Johnson did not resist change.
He embraced it.
He created Afro Sheen.
Watching young people dance on Soul Train, he immediately recognized both a cultural movement and a marketing opportunity. He purchased a 50 percent ownership interest in the program, helped transform it into color television, and expanded its national syndication.
As the show’s exclusive national sponsor in the 1970s, legendary ads like the Afro Sheen Blowout Kit featuring the Soul Train Dancers defined a generation. These ads celebrated natural hair, self-expression, and Black pride, deeply embedding themselves into Black childhood memories and family rituals, creating an inseparable link between Soul Train and Johnson Products.
The marketing results were extraordinary. That level of market dominance came because he understood culture before most marketers even recognized it.
Lesson Five: Never Leave the Community That Built You…
George Johnson never forgot where he came from.
As his wealth grew, so did his commitment to the Black community.
He financially supported the Civil Rights Movement and stood behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Chicago’s first Black mayor, Harold Washington. He was a steward of Blackness as he walked his very own business.
One of his favorite philanthropic organizations was the Chicago Urban League. He helped launch the “Golden Fellowship Dinner” with Urban League director, Mr. Bill Berry.
Through scholarships, he helped nearly 1,000 young people attend college.
He also quietly invested in Black institutions and Black businesses.
He prepaid years of advertising in ESSENCE magazine to help the young publication survive during its early years. His advertising dollars strengthened agencies such as Vince Cullers Advertising and Burrell Communications. His campaigns created opportunities for Black photographers, graphic artists, models, printers, writers, and creative professionals.
George Johnson understood that success means little unless others rise with you.
The Master of the Pivot…
Perhaps George Johnson’s greatest lesson was his ability to pivot.
When banks refused him a business loan because he was Black, he refused to give up. Instead, he reapplied for the loan, describing it as money for a vacation with his wife, Joan.
The loan was approved for $250. He turned $250 into a company that eventually became the first Black-owned company to trade on the American Stock Exchange in 1971.
That money became the beginning of Johnson Products Company.
When hairstyles changed, he changed.
When culture changed, he changed.
When the marketplace shifted, he shifted.
He never abandoned his vision; he found another path to reach it.
That resilience became the hallmark of his entrepreneurial genius.
He and his partner wife, Joan, divorced, and she won the company in the divorce settlement, and the company was sold to Ivax Corporation in 1993. He and Joan would eventually remarry. She died in 2019.
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A Beautiful Final Chapter…
Even in his later years, George Johnson continued to embrace life.
After the passing of his beloved wife, Joan, he found love again. He married the gracious Madelyn Murphy Rabb, whom his granddaughter introduced to him.
Together they shared a beautiful and joyful final chapter.
Madelyn encouraged him to write his memoir, helped preserve his remarkable history, and ensured that future generations would understand not only the extraordinary businessman George Johnson became, but also the remarkable man he always was.
Their love story was one of companionship, grace, and purpose.
His Greatest Legacy…
George Johnson built much more than a beauty products company.
He built an ecosystem.
He created opportunities for Black entrepreneurs, advertisers, media companies, artists, photographers, marketers, students, and community organizations and he changed the way Black beauticians worked.
He proved that business success and community responsibility could walk hand in hand.
His life reminds us that entrepreneurship is not simply about making money.
It is about creating opportunities for others.
Mr. Johnson leaves behind more than a successful company. He leaves behind a blueprint.
His story teaches us that faith, integrity, innovation, resilience, and a commitment to community remain the most valuable business lessons of all.
May we all learn from the remarkable life of Mr. George Johnson.
I will always remember him saying. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you“. His was a life well lived. Thank you.
The funeral services for George E. Johnson Sr. are as follows:
Wake: Friday, July 17, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Funeral: 11:00 AM
Location: Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 W. 95th St., Chicago, IL 60628
