Shaun Johnson

Big Band Experience

The Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience is a rare, newcomer to traditional pop - fusing a big band spirit with an inventive edge – and garnering a Top 5 Billboard spot with the release of their first album. Shaun, an Emmy award-winning crooner, indelibly stamps vocal jazz and swing with a contemporary punch - to the delight of both traditionalists and newcomers - emerging as an original voice in the American Songbook narrative. Shaun seemed destined for a life of music from the very beginning. "One of my earliest memories," he says, "is of performing at state fair talent shows with my little sister. We'd sing Sonny and Cher songs - a cappella - when neither of us was quite tall enough to reach the microphone." Those a cappella origins proved prescient when Shaun later launched his musical career with the nationally known vocal group, Tonic Sol-fa. This quartet has sold nearly two million albums independently and has been featured in Newsweek and on the Today Show.

Shaun is still an active member. In 2018, Shaun fueled a lifelong passion and assembled an octet featuring some of the best instrumentalists and arrangers in the Midwest—people who've toured with numerous luminaries, who are Music Educators of the Year and who are integral members of collegiate jazz faculties. His vision was to spearhead a big band renaissance: to create a contemporary Pop Big Band sound with a nod to Lake Street Dive and Michael Buble, while giving this music his own twist - performing songs ranging from the “Spiderman Theme” to increasingly popular original work. Look for the Big Band Experience’s recent appearance on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” as well as their first PBS special, “Spirit of the Season,” to air across North America.

https://www.shaunjohnsonmusic.com/