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When General Johnson died of lung cancer in October and Greensboro’s Danny Woods embarked on a solo career, it looked like the end of the Chairmen of the Board after more than four decades. But bandmate Ken Knox decided to keep the name of the legendary beach music band alive.

“The fan base said, 'Please keep the Chairmen of the Board going. Please don’t let it go,’” he says, speaking by phone from the Charlotte offices of Surfside Records, a label Johnson founded in the late 1970s after returning south from Detroit. “I learned a lot from him (Johnson). He prepared me for stepping up.”

So Knox, a Detroit native who joined the Chairmen of the Board in 1972 as a singer and saxophone player, recruited two new members: Charlotte native

Darryl “DJ” Johnson, who sang backup on several Chairmen of the Board albums, and Florida native Thomas Hunter, a classically trained songwriter, singer and pianist.

They have performed General Johnson tribute shows at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach and Amos’ South End in Charlotte, where Johnson played his last show in February 2010. That tribute was an emotional one for Knox, who says Johnson was like a brother to him.

“I broke down,” he said. “We were joined at the hip for over 37 years, from the stage to the studio.”

Chairmen of the Board will bring the tribute show Friday night to Allure Nightlife in downtown Greensboro.

“The House of Blues was supposed to be the first show General was gonna do when he came back off of recuperating after knee surgery,” Knox says. “Unfortunately, he passed.”

The House of Blues show became a tribute concert to Johnson. It sold out.

The venue added three more dates to its calendar. “That was a great sign,” Knox said.

The tribute show in Greensboro will include favorites such as “On the Beach,” “Carolina Girls” and “Give Me Just a Little More Time,” Knox says.

“From the beginning, 'Give Me Just a Little More Time’ was a million-selling song in 1970,” Knox says. “We’re doing from 'Give Me Just a Little More Time’ up to 'Carolina Man,’ which is the last song General recorded with us.”

“General” was Johnson’s real first name. He was born in Norfolk, Va., in 1941, and named after his father.

“He never wanted to use his name,” Knox says. “But a record company executive back in the ’60s, I think, said, 'You need to use your given name.’ Until the guy told him that, he never used it. It was more distinctive.”

Johnson had his first hit in 1961 as lead singer for the Showmen, writing and singing an early rock ’n’ roll anthem called “It Will Stand.” He sang in a crying, soulful style that showed the influence of an early R&B great.

“Jackie Wilson was one of his idols,” Knox says.

In addition to “It Will Stand” and “Give Me Just a Little More Time,” Johnson wrote several other hit singles that have stood the test of time, including “Patches,” made famous by Clarence Carter, and “Want Ads,” a hit for the Honey Cone.

The Chairmen of the Board were embraced by the beach music community when they moved their base from Detroit to Charlotte in 1979, says Knox, who worked closely with Johnson as vice president of both Surfside Records and General Entertainment, a talent and booking agency.

“There was something about the Carolinas that he was loving,” Knox says. “When you’re out in the other world, you have to have a record out every 30 days to stay current. But down here, our songs are still being played like it was the first time.”

Contact Eddie Huffman at ehuffman@triad.rr.com