George E. Johnson Sr., the founder of Johnson Products Co. who built a hair care empire serving Black customers and broke Wall Street’s color barrier, died Monday at his home in downtown Chicago. He was 99 years old, as reported by Word In Black and American Salon.
Key Takeaways
- George E. Johnson Sr., founder of Johnson Products Co., died Monday at his home in downtown Chicago at age 99.
- Johnson Products became the first Black-owned company listed on the American Stock Exchange in 1971, breaking Wall Street’s color barrier.
- Within six years of its 1954 founding, Johnson Products controlled nearly 80 percent of the Black hair care market with products like Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen.
- Johnson’s sponsorship money made ‘Soul Train’ possible, funding Don Cornelius’s transformation of a local Chicago show into a national cultural institution.
- Martin Luther King Jr. visited Johnson Products’ Chicago headquarters in 1966 and called the predominantly Black workforce ‘Black power.’
Johnson’s death marks the end of a chapter in Black entrepreneurship that reshaped not just an industry but how an entire community saw itself. His company didn’t simply sell conditioner and curl kits. It created visibility, economic power, and a new standard of beauty at a time when the mainstream industry ignored Black consumers entirely.
How Did Johnson Build His Hair Care Empire?
Johnson founded Johnson Products Co. in 1954 with his first wife, Joan Johnson, starting with a $250 personal loan he originally told the bank officer was for a family vacation. The chemist worked from Chicago’s South Side, developing formulas the mainstream beauty industry wouldn’t touch.
Within six years, the company controlled nearly 80 percent of the Black hair care market, according to Word In Black. That dominance came from products tailored to Black hair textures and styling preferences that had been systematically excluded from drugstore shelves. Ultra Sheen, an at-home hair relaxer designed for Black women, transformed the market by offering salon-quality results without the salon price tag.
Born in 1927 in Richton, Mississippi, Johnson moved to Chicago as a child. He shined shoes, sold newspapers, and worked as a waiter before dropping out of high school. In 1944, Johnson joined the Black-owned S.B. Fuller Co. as a production chemist, where he learned the craft under cosmetics pioneer Samuel B. Fuller and chemist Herbert Martin.
Johnson credited Fuller with shaping his approach to business. ‘Without him, I would have been just another ordinary high school dropout,’ Johnson told The AFRO news outlet in 2025, as cited by American Salon. ‘But with him, I learned more than I would have ever received by earning my diploma. He taught me psychology and religion. He taught me how to be a businessman.’
What Made Johnson Products a Cultural Force?
The company’s greatest cultural breakthrough came in the late 1960s with Afro Sheen, one of the first hair care lines designed specifically for natural Black hairstyles. The product arrived as the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power movement encouraged Black Americans to embrace their natural hair texture, turning a beauty product into a political statement.
Martin Luther King Jr. visited Johnson Products’ Chicago headquarters in 1966 and, according to The Wall Street Journal witnessed Black employees working in engineering, research, sales, and front-office roles. King announced, ‘Now this is Black power!’ Johnson saw his business as part of a mutually supportive ecosystem of Black entrepreneurs, not an isolated success story.
Johnson Products invested heavily in cosmetology education, training salon professionals on new techniques and elevating industry standards. The company didn’t just sell products. It built infrastructure, credibility, and careers across the Black beauty industry.
Johnson’s millions later bankrolled ‘Soul Train,’ making him the show’s exclusive sponsor and helping founder Don Cornelius turn a local Chicago music program into appointment viewing for Black households nationwide. The cash infusion gave the show the runway it needed to become a cultural institution that shaped music, dance, and fashion for decades.
How Did Johnson Make Wall Street History?
In 1971, Johnson Products became the first Black-owned company listed on the American Stock Exchange, now known as NYSE American. The milestone shattered assumptions about what Black entrepreneurs could achieve and where they belonged in the financial system.
The listing gave Johnson Products access to capital that most Black-owned businesses could never secure, and it demonstrated to a generation of entrepreneurs that Wall Street was not an exclusive club. Johnson’s family described him in a statement as ‘a visionary business leader who built a hair care empire, broke barriers on Wall Street, and helped fuel the fight for civil rights.’
BLK News has covered the evolution of Black entrepreneurship across industries, and Johnson’s journey from a $250 loan to a publicly traded company remains one of the most striking examples of how individual ambition can reshape an entire market.
What Challenges Did the Company Face?
Johnson Products’ dominance gradually eroded as mainstream cosmetics giants like Revlon recognized the profitability of the Black beauty market and entered it with larger marketing budgets and distribution networks. The company that had once controlled nearly 80 percent of the market found itself competing against corporations with far greater resources.
Shifting consumer preferences also challenged the business. As Afros, relaxers, and Jheri curls gave way to locs, box braids, and natural hairstyles in the 1990s and 2000s, many of Johnson’s signature products fell out of favor. The company changed hands several times after George and Joan Johnson divorced, eventually landing with Procter & Gamble before a Black-led investment group reacquired it in 2009.
Joan Johnson died in 2019. George Johnson is survived by his second wife, Madeline Murphy Rabb, as well as his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His son, John Edward Johnson, told the Chicago Sun-Times that his father died of natural causes. The New York Times, citing Madeline Murphy Rabb, reported the cause as a respiratory illness.
What Does Johnson’s Legacy Mean Today?
Johnson didn’t just build a successful business. He created a model for what Black entrepreneurship could accomplish when it centered Black consumers, invested in Black communities, and refused to accept the limits the mainstream industry imposed. His products gave Black Americans a way to see themselves reflected in advertising, on store shelves, and in the mirror with pride.
The infrastructure Johnson built extended beyond his own balance sheet. His sponsorship of ‘Soul Train’ helped finance a platform that introduced mainstream America to Black music, dance, and style. His public listing on the American Stock Exchange opened doors for other Black entrepreneurs seeking capital and credibility.
Johnson started his career selling hair products to Black men who wanted the sleek, straight hairstyles popularized by Nat King Cole and other entertainers in the 1950s. By the time he stepped back from the business, he had helped redefine Black beauty standards, proven that Black-owned companies could compete on Wall Street, and built a fortune by serving a community the rest of the industry had ignored.
FAQs
What Was George Johnson’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death?
The sources do not provide information about George Johnson’s net worth at the time of his death. Word In Black reported that Johnson became ‘a very wealthy man’ through his business, but no specific dollar figure is publicly available.
Who Owns Johnson Products Co. Today?
After changing hands several times, including a period under Procter & Gamble’s ownership, Johnson Products was acquired by a Black-led investment group in 2009. The sources do not identify the current ownership structure beyond that 2009 transaction.
What Happened to Joan Johnson After She and George Johnson Divorced?
Joan Johnson, George Johnson’s first wife and co-founder of Johnson Products Co., died in 2019. The sources do not provide details about her life or activities following the divorce or the change in company ownership.
How Did George Johnson Get the Idea for Ultra Sheen?
Johnson came across the concept for a safer hair straightener while working at Fuller Products, an earlier Black-owned beauty company. His employer turned down the idea, so Johnson developed the formula himself with chemist Herbert Martini and launched his own company to bring it to market.
Did Johnson Products Continue Making Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen After the Company Was Sold?
The sources note that many of Johnson’s signature products fell out of favor as consumer preferences shifted toward locs, box braids, and natural hairstyles in the 1990s and 2000s. However, they do not specify whether Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen are still manufactured today.
What Other Black-owned Beauty Companies Competed With Johnson Products?
The sources mention that Johnson got his start at S.B. Fuller Co., an earlier Black-owned beauty company, and that mainstream giants like Revlon eventually entered the Black hair care market. However, they do not name other Black-owned competitors that emerged during Johnson Products’ peak years.
