Mike Johnson (yodeler)

Mike Johnson, Country Music’s No.1 Black Yodeler

 Mike Johnson (born 1946) is an African-American country music singer, songwriter, and yodeler living in Arlington, Virginia. He began performing in the mid-1960s and is most famously known as Country Music’s No.1 Black Yodeler because of his versatility in combining the Jimmie Rodgers, Cowboy and Swiss yodeling styles. He has written over 150 yodeling songs and 114 of them were acquired by the Library of Congress’ Recorded Sound Reference Center’s permanent music collection in April 2007. He readily admits that he first learned to yodel by imitating Movie Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller.

  Mike attended Catholic elementary and high schools and graduated from them in 1961 and 1965 respectively. He joined the US Navy in September 1965 and served two Vietnam Tours on the attack Aircraft Carrier, USS Constellation CVA-64 from 1967 to 1969. His early influences were the singing movie Cowboys Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, and Herb Jeffries. He honed his himself on the music of Jimmie Rodgers and later the sound of the Steel Guitar paved his way to the country music styles of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Roger Miller. Mike says Roger Miller gave him the songwriting bug. “I just wanted to be a songwriter. But I’ve had to do everything else along the way to get there!”
  He went to Nashville in April 1981 for his first professional recording session at Jim Maxwell’s Globe Recording Studio on Dickerson Road. Two of the five songs he recorded were released on his first 45rpm single, “King of the Fish” with “Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin” on his MAJJ Productions literary banner. In downtown Nashville, Lawrence Record Store, owned by Jack and Ida Lawrence, was the first retailer to stock the new release, and Keith Bradford’s Record Row Review was the first radio station to play it. When Mike became a long-distance trucker for Newlon’s Transfer in Arlington, Virginia in 1981, little did he know that this would play a pivotal role in establishing him on the Independent Country Music circuit.

  In 1982 Country Boy Eddie introduced him to his Birmingham, Alabama TV viewers as “...sounding like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and Jimmie Rodgers, all rolled into one!” In June 1982 Mike formed Pata del Lobo Music Publishing for his country songs and in 1983 released his first cassette album “Mike Johnson’s Guitar Songs Vol.1.” When Globe Studio relocated to White House, Tennessee, Maxwell sent him to Champ Recording Studio on Church Street, owned by his legendary friend, Jim Stanton, founder of Rich-R-Tone Records. Mike released his 2nd 45rpm, “Hooked on Rodeo” with “I Hear Her Words Ringin’” and continued to record his songs at Champ Studio until Stanton’s untimely death in 1989.
  “Jim taught me how the Nashville clique thought and worked, and urged me to form my own label…” Mike acknowledges. “He also made it quite clear that ‘Nashville’ wasn’t looking for another Charlie Pride because they were still mad at Chet Atkins and Cowboy Jack Clements over that…”
  Thus Mike’s country music label, Roughshod Records was born in June 1987, along with You and Me Music Publishing and You and Me Records for his non-country songs. Mike also joined ASCAP and quit a couple of years later when they refused to pay him his airplay royalties. He has been a BMI songwriter member ever since. It should also be noted that Mike has always published and produced his own music and has never been signed to, or recorded for, any label but his own. In all he would produce 10 cassettes between 1986 and 1996, from which the title cut on his 1994 2-song single “Did You Hug Your Mother Today?” would become his first radio hit by playing for three weeks straight on Big John Baldry’s “Michigan Jamboree” Radio Show in Grand Rapids Michigan. 

  He created the Top-Rail Chatter Independent Country Music magazine which ran from January1995 to December 2002. It catered strictly to the Independent singer/songwriters and provided useful information on copyrighting, publishing, and music scams. His first CD “Black Yodel No.1 the Song the Songwriter” was released in June 1999 followed by his 2nd CD “Dig You Hug Your Mother Today?” in July 1999. He would go on to release a total of 40 CDs by March 2010, the most notable of them being his 22nd CD “Mike Johnson, Yodeling 40 Years” a 2-disc set containing 50 of Mike’s own yodeling songs released in August 2006. [CD discography: http://roughshodrecords.webs.com/cd-discography]

  On 1 September 2002 Mike Johnson was inducted into America’s Old-Time Country Music Hall Of Fame by The National Traditional Country Music Association at the 27th Annual Old-Time Country Music Festival, in Avoca, Iowa. This organization was created by Bob Everhart, a Smithsonian Folkways recording artist, in 1975 with the express purpose of preserving traditional country, bluegrass, gospel, and folk music.

[National Traditional Country Music Association: http://www.ntcma.net]

  In November 2003 everything came to a sudden halt when three neck vertebrae collapsed on Mike’s spinal cord. He was treated at the Veterans Hospital in Washington DC and underwent surgery in January 2004 at the Veterans Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. After nearly two years of immobility and rehabilitation, Mike began making a slow comeback. His 20-year trucking career was over, but his music wasn’t. 

  Early in 2005, Bart Plantenga, author of the 2004 Best Seller “Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo, The Secret History of Yodeling Around The World” contacted Mike about being in his follow-up yodeling book “Yodel In Hi-Fi.” A friendship was formed and Mike became the subject of a number of Bart’s yodeling projects.
  On 7 May 2005 he, still unable to drive, he caught the Greyhound to New York City to participate in Bart’s yodeling book promotion at the Bowery Poetry Club with Yodelers Randy Erwin and Lynn Book before an audience of highly enthusiastic yodeling fans. This was Mike’s first major public performance following his neck injury and he was particularly elated that he suffered only minor hand tension but no major fatigue or nerve setbacks during the journey.
  In September 2006 his “Yeah, I’m A Cowboy” became one of the 18 yodeling songs featured on Bart Plantenga’s compilation, “Rough Guide to Yodel” CD, produced and released by the World Music Network in London, England.

[Rough Guide to Yodel CD: http://bartplantenga.weebly.com/rough-guide-to-yodel.html]

  Mike became a part of American Music History in April 2007 with the acquisition of 114 of his yodeling songs and related music material by the Recorded Sound Reference Center at the Library of Congress, including a 42 page music biography “Mike Johnson, the Official Short Version” created at the Library’s request. Library Officials Janet McKee and Peter L. Stark were on-hand to accept the items. This was followed up in July 2009 with the inclusion of his 22-song “Mike Johnson Folio” song book for the Library’s Recording Arts Reading Room, accepted by Library Official Patricia Baughman. 

[Mike Johnson Music Biography: http://www.freewebs.com/blackyodelno1]

  During the summer of 2012 he signed gifted young multi-instrumentalist James Adelsberger to his label. RCD41 “Livin’ Lost Love on the Jukebox Again/The Heartaches Are Callin’” featuring Mike Johnson and RCD42 “Back Home Again/The Holy River” featuring James Adelsberger were 2-song CD Singles released in August and November 2012, respectively. James played all the instruments on these and his friend Michael Romans played the fiddle. Both singles were included in the Library of Congress’ growing Mike Johnson collection, which now contained 16 Special Edition “Mike Johnson Live!” DVDs featuring Mike’s performances in Maryland, Michigan, New York City, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia for their Motion Picture & Television Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division in December 2011.

[Mike Johnson’s Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame Induction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ_wQaugWos]

  In December 2012 Mike Johnson entered the annuals of yodeling history in Bart Plantenga’s December 2012 follow-up book on the global history of yodeling, “Yodel In HiFi.” That month also saw the publication of his “I Just Wanted To Be A Songwriter, a Mike Johnson Music Anthology” a 390-page visual presentation of nearly everything from 1980 to December 2012 that has every been printed, published, produced, and distributed about, and by, Mike Johnson and his music. It was acquired by the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room in January 2013.

[Black & Blue Yodeling by Bart Plantenga: http://bartplantenga.weebly.com/black--blue-yodelin.html]

  Following a couple of pre-release and sampler CDs, Roughshod Records released its 49th and 50th CDs on 15 November 2014. Co-produced by Mike and James; RCD49-15112014-1 “Old Time Country Songs Are They Really Dead and Gone?” 13-songs featuring James Adelsberger, and RCD50-15112014-2 “Doggone It I’ve Written A Sad Song Again” 12-songs featuring Mike Johnson. James played all the instruments, created the music tracks, and wrote the fiddle scores for his friend Michael Romans. And in a historic move You and Me Records released its first release, a 2-song CD Single “SideKicks Christmas Special” featuring duets by Mike and James. Up until then most of the You and Me songs were released on Roughshod Records with a country twist. All three releases were acquired by the Recorded Sound Reference Center Official Janet McKee on 18 December 2014 in a taped presentation.

[Library of Congress CD acquisition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_kVjiumqXk] [Tradition Magazine Review: http://ukdailyeye.blogspot.com/2015/06/cd-mike-johnson-doggone-it-ive-written.html]

  Over the years, Mike Johnson a member of a number of music organizations, including The Country Entertainers & Musicians Benevolent Association, The Eastern Shore Opry, The Songwriters Guild, Louisiana Songwriter’s Association, The Tennessee Songwriters Association, The Traditional Music Association, the Black Country Music Association and is still with The National Traditional Country Music Association. In April 1996 he was commissioned an Honorary Kentucky Colonel by the Governor of the State of Kentucky.
  His press coverage has included the smallest Country Music Newsletter to the Washington Post. Including Hard Country Beat, Bluebird Country News, Songwriters Monthly, Entertainment News, Tradition, The Forum, Country Tradition, Rural Music News, Country Illustrated, Sharing & Caring, Country Plus, Manvel Opry Newsletter, The Alvin Advertiser, Artists & Writers Fellowship, Country Music Trails Less Traveled, The Old Town Crier, Lorton Valley Star, and Marquis’ Who’s Who?
  Pamela E. Foster included Mike in her “My Country, the African Diaspora’s Country Music Heritage” in 1998, and her “My Country Too, The Other Black Music” in 2000. These most definitive studies revealed that African-Americans were actively involved in Country Music’s origins and development and that they were not merely “influences” as was often written. Pamela, a teacher at the University of Tennessee, was also a Pulitzer Prize Nominee and one of Nashville’s well-known award-winning Journalists.

[Hillbilly-Music by Dave Schiak: http://www.hillbilly-music.com/artists/story/printartist.php?id=16180] [MusicBrainz: https://musicbrainz.org/label/474d7341-76b4-4225-9b6b-8c4c63cb4662]

  Mike’s songs have been airing on radio stations since his first release in 1981. Many DJs and radio stations have come and gone, and along the way Mike made friends with a number of them. Since then those songs and songs from his and James’ new CDs have aired on many more stations, including; [1]Alex Pijnen’s Country Programa “Saloon” in the Netherlands; [2]Ashley McMillen’s “Hitkicker Home Grown Hour” 99.7 in Charlottesville, Virginia; [3]Daniel Millar’s “Go Country With Derek” in North Lanarkshire, Scotland; [4]Doc Schulze’s “Country-Time Radio Euroherz” in Hof, Germany; [5]Donald Burdick Jr’s “CMG Radio Variety Show” in Gallatin, Tennessee; [6]Hank Edward’s “Country Radio OMCRN Network” in Oak Hill, West Virginia; [7]Ian Parr’s “Country Music Show” 98.8 Castle FM in Scotland; [8]John Anderson’s “Country Music DK Radio” in Middelfart, Denmark; [9]Joy Kimmell’s “Songs of Joy Go Country With Derek” in Mossistown, Tennessee; [10]Julie & Dave Matheson’s “Country Campfire” Icarna Radio” in Tasmania, Australia; [11]Kurt Gabriel’s “Archangel Country Club” ECMA-Radio in Austria; [12]Nicole Trudel’s “The Country Gold Jukebox” Ontario, Canada; [13]Noel Parry’s “Country Express” in Invercargill, New Zealand; [14]Patrick Molis’ “IDFM Radio Enghien” in Montmorency, France; [15]Patty Patrick’s “Newcomer Platform” Radio Florian am Inn in Austria; [16]Pete Smith’s “Strictly Country Independent Country Cross Roads” in South Yorkshire, England; [17]Trudy Burke’s “Make Mine Country” 88.9 WYN-FM Radio in Victoria, Australia; and [18]Winnie Hansen’s “Win’s Country and Gospel Music” WHPR Radio 101.1FM in Denmark.
  

Additional Links: Allmusic.com: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-johnson-mn0002394579 Rocky Productions: http://www.rocky-52.net/chanteursj/johnson_mike.htm My Unique American Yodel Trip by Peter Lim: http://heidiland.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=05_00_04&wr_id=32 World Music Central: http://worldmusiccentral.org/artists/artist_page.php?id=4098 Yodel Echoes by Bart Plantenga: http://bartplantenga.weebly.com/yodel-echoes.html Rough Guide to Yodel: http://bartplantenga.weebly.com/rough-guide-to-yodel.html Country Music News International: http://countrymusicnewsinternational.blogspot.com/2015/05/cd-james-adelsberger-are-they-really.html Country Music News International: http://countrymusicnewsinternational.blogspot.com/2015/06/cd-mike-johnson-doggone-it-ive-written.html Yodeling & Yodeling Truck Driver by Bart Plantenga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MzEHEfA4Pc You and Me Records: http://roughshodrecords.webs.com/you-and-me-records