Gregory B. Johnson (born March 24, 1951) is a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. He is a former member of the R&B group Cameo.

Early years

From an early age Johnson demonstrated a facility with the piano. Encouraged by his parents, along with singing in his church's choir, he began taking lessons in

classical piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

from his choir director. After many years of being under the tutelage of teachers and family influences, Johnson began using his ability to play by ear to pick out his favorite tunes from the radio. He was inspired by such songs as "

The 'In' Crowd "The 'In' Crowd" is a 1964 song written by Billy Page and arranged by his brother Gene and originally performed by Dobie Gray on his album ''Dobie Gray Sings for "In" Crowders That Go "Go-Go"''. It appeared on an episode of ''Dick Clark's Rock, ...

" by Ramsey Lewis, "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited, and "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell and the Drells to focus on R&B rather than classical music. Johnson formed his own band, performing the R&B songs that were climbing the charts at that time.

Cameo

While attending a community talent show he struck up the beginnings of a long artistic collaboration with Larry Blackmon. Upon being asked, he joined Blackmon's band. Later on in their initial association, they began calling themselves "The Mighty Gees." Initially, Blackmon and Johnson sought success through backing up Howard Kinney, and the vocal group Top Shelf. They eventually became part of Willie Feaster and 'The Mighty Magnificent's Concrete Wall'. Along the way, they evolved into East Coast, featuring

Gwen Guthrie Gwendolyn Guthrie (July 9, 1950 – February 3, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter and pianist who also sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Peter Tosh, and Madonna, among others, and who wrote songs made fa ...

, then, morphed into The New York City Players. However, just before the release of the group's first single, the popular group

The Ohio Players ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

took issue with the similarity in the groups' names. This led them finally in 1973 to establish the band's name as Cameo. Johnson eventually received five gold records for his work with Cameo.

Changes

Johnson left Cameo in October 1982 to re-evaluate his life and pursuits. Thereafter, he focused on finishing his education in music. After auditioning, Mr. Johnson was accepted into the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

. He received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in jazz composition and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in jazz piano as well. Gregory continues to be actively engaged in music. He has performed as a solo pianist and played keyboard for various groups, such as

Slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. He enjoys continuing in the education of other aspiring musicians by teaching piano, and is currently a consultant for a large audio department in a major retail establishment. Through a writing credit, he received a platinum record for

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

's album ''Evolution''. In 2007, he released a solo jazz album titled ''A New Hip''. In 2012 he released a solo funk album titled ''Funk Funk (Just for a Little Time)''.

External links

Gregory Johnson (Official Site)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Gregory B. Living people 1951 births American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Rhythm and blues pianists American rhythm and blues keyboardists Manhattan School of Music alumni 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians