Eddie & Ernie
Eddie & Ernie were a soul duo from Phoenix, Arizona, active in the 1960s. The group featured Eddie Campbell and Ernie “Sweetwater” Johnson. They started in gospel groups and worked as backing vocalists before making records.
They first recorded together in 1963 as Ernie & Eddie, with the song “It’s A Weak Man That Cries” on Checker/Nightingale. Unlike many of their peers, they wrote their own material. They released music on many labels, including Asnes, Ramco, Nightingale, Chess, Checker, Eastern, Columbia, Artco, Revue, and Buddah. Their best-known R&B track was “Time Waits For No One,” which reached #34 on the R&B charts in 1965.
In 1971, both members joined a local group called Phoenix Express. Some of their songs were later covered by Dee Clark, Jackie Wilson, and James Carr. Their work has been appreciated by deep soul fans and included on compilations such as Lost Friends.
Eddie Campbell (William Edgar Campbell) was born December 23, 1940, in Lodi, Texas, and grew up in Phoenix. He died July 10, 1994, in Los Angeles at age 53. Ernie Johnson (Earnest L. Johnson Jr.) was born October 22, 1943, in Lubbock, Texas, and died August 20, 2005, in Phoenix at age 61. In 2019, a headstone was placed for Johnson at Resthaven/Carr-Tenney Memorial Gardens in Phoenix.
Arizona music historian John Dixon helped Johnson after discovering he was homeless, arranged his headstone, and later worked with him to compile Eddie & Ernie music for release. Dixon also helped produce a compilation CD called Lost Friends for Kent Soul in 2002.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:40 (CET).