At a very early age Vashon Johnson discovered his profound love of music.  By seven years old he began taking formal training in classical piano and continued over a span of eight years.  His musical prowess developed quickly and steadily.  At 10 years old, Vashon was a trombone player by position in his grade school band, but he was a bass player at heart.  He literally pleaded with the band director for a spot as a bassist.  After some rapid fire progress, shortly after entering Gwendolyn Brooks Junior High School in Chicago, he was selected as a member of its award-winning jazz ensemble.   Vashon continued to  hone his craft throughout high school, excelling in music performance and theory.  He was the recipient of many “Outstanding Performer” awards and played in numerous all-state music ensembles.   
 
Shortly after graduating from high school Vashon connected with one of his friends who had a gig with the legendary Jazz Singer Betty Carter.  Betty had a rep for graciously affording young artists an opportunity to prove they had the chops for live performance.  With a spirit reminiscent of his plea to the band director a few years prior, Vashon vigorously petitioned Betty for his chance on stage with her. Evidently this impressed Betty, as she called him up from the audience to play in her showcase, saying “Honey you gotta speak up if you want to be a star!”   Afterwards she extended him an invitation to join her band (the youngest of them all) on a European tour.  All in all it turned into a fascinating two year excursion, for which Vashon credits a significant amount of his musical maturity.  “It was a life changing experience in many ways.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was evolving into what I call a “complete musician”.

He came to realize that even a complete musician is always evolving—there’s always a new horizon to ascend. He sought another level of challenge and it came in the form of college study at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.  This opened up a whole new musical (as well as academic) curriculum to Vashon.  On a music scholarship he enrolled in a variety of genres:  Zydeco, New Orleans style blues and a grass-roots music.   With all of these influences in the mix, Vashon was prompted to explore another musical realm.  Back to his roots, he returned to Chicago for a brief stint; regrouped; then found himself packing for New York City.   With an “if I can make it there I can make it anywhere” mission on his mind, Vashon viewed New York as the “embodiment of everything I wanted to do or could do—jazz, hip-hop, R&B—anything and everything was possible within this cultural icon.”

So he moved to Manhattan where he quickly began to turn industry ears with his solid command of his instruments, his versatility and creativity.  Just a few weeks after he arrived in the city, like a bit of Broadway magic, he was asked to sub for the Legendary Tom Barney on Broadway’s number one musical: The Lion King.   He gradually became first call for that production, and subsequently for the hit musical: The Boy From Oz, starring Hugh Jackman.  In a meteoric burst, Vashon was soon sharing the stage with such artists as Dianne Reeves, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Donald Fagen, Carly Simon, Greg Osby, Shawn Pelton, Patti LaBelle, Carla Cook, Shania Twain, Stephanie Mills, Deborah Cox, CL Smooth, B.B. King, Philippe Saisse and Marc Antoine.  

Most recently, Vashon was invited to perform bass examples for Vic Firth’s- Tommy Igoe Modern Drum Techniques, which is now the number one selling drum instructional method!

When asked to describe his playing style he says “I like to disappear into the music…or maybe it’s that I’m a chameleon.”  Either way, he’s an accomplished artist whether playing on upright, electric or synth basses.   “I find it a great compliment when I’m playing (one) and someone tells me “I didn’t know you played (the other).”  Rather soft-spoken and cerebral by nature, Vashon uses his instruments to express alternative personae. “They’re all different instruments and when I play them, I feel like different personalities.  I approach each one differently. “

Crediting significant influences in his life, his list is topped by his parents and Mr. Weber, the grade school band director who granted his petition to switch from trombone to bass. Regarding his artistry, he names bassists Byron Miller, Darryl Jones, Angus Thomas and Tom Barney among his motivators and mentors.  Vashon bears a shy smile, recounting when one asked him, “Did you choose music or did music choose you?”  He’s determined to prove that music indeed chose him.  

Vashon currently resides in Los Angeles where he’s thrilled to be working on his next big achievement, whatever that may be!

Stayed tuned for Vashon Johnson’s forthcoming debut solo project.   Meanwhile, check out his recent video appearances with Jessica Simpson and Boyz II Men.