Greensboro's J. taps famous boss, friend for single

If you saw any of Prince's 2011 Carolinas concerts or his halftime appearance at the 2007 Super Bowl, then you've heard Greensboro-native and Prince's backup singer Shelby Johnson sing. Today the soul-funk vocal powerhouse, who goes by Shelby J, released a new single. It's not just any track though. The song's called "North Carolina" and features fellow North Carolinian Anthony Hamilton (who opened Prince's last Charlotte show) and is produced by the Purple One himself.

At one point Prince practically had a second career producing singles and albums for ladies like Sheena Easton, Shelia E., and Vanity 6, (and wasn't there something about Kim Basinger around the time they were both associated with Tim Burton's "Batman?" Better forgotten, probably).

Such a talented trio should entice listeners to check out the song. It's available as a digital single through Amazon and CD Baby and should be available via iTunes shortly. A full-length album is tentatively set for Spring. (Photo courtesy of Johnson's ReverbNation site).