Drummer of the stars Chris Johnson was the last artist we recorded during the two days of the London Drum Show. His performance was nothing less than a big celebration on many levels. Not only does Chris Johnson play as if his life depends on it, he is enjoying every hit he makes in every tune he plays. With that, his clinic was an incredible showcase of some of his biggest references. Probably only because nothing more of his résumé could fit in the 40 minutes he had on stage. He filled those minutes with incredible verve and musicality. Here an overview of Chris Johnson's superb moments at the London Drum Show.
A quick Chris Johnson-rundown Chris Johnson picked up and loved playing drums at his father's church, until he was approached by the music director of Mya. After that his career is a dream come true, varying from playing with artists like Anastacia, Rihanna, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Seal, Nelly Furtado, with Rihanna on her Diamonds World Tour, and many more, including a lot of gospel greats.
Chris is also a member of an all-star band called Legally Blynd. The members of this band have built careers for top billing artists like the above mentioned and Justin Timberlake, Destiny’s Child, Raphael Saadiq, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Sheila E., Whitney Houston, John Legend and many more.
And again, the joy he and his band are having in making music can be heard in all their songs that are rooted in the blues and gospel up to contemporary Hip hop, R&B and even Reggae. Legally Blynd released their first album 'You' in March 2015.
In 2014 Chris played in the house band on the breakthrough ABC TV show Rising Star. He is also playing in his own band Invented Like Stars and working on it's self-titled album to be released soon.
Chris Johnson videos We have several videos of Chris' performance. All give a good overview of his work with some of the biggest artists on the planet, but also a great insight on his gospel roots. The last two videos feature some heavy soloing. Here are some of the tracks and artists in the videos:
Trent von Lee - We're in your House
Trent von Lee - Psalm 147
Stevie Wonder - I Wish
Stevie Wonder - Superstition
Rihanna, Jay-Z - Talk That Talk
Rihanna, Jay-Z - Umbrella
Chris Johnson's gear
Vater Percussion
Remo drumheads
Sabian cymbals
Yamaha drums
All artists performing at the London Drum Show 2014 Gavin Harrison, Keith Carlock, Todd Sucherman, Matt Halpern, Brian Tichy, Chris Johnson, Tony Royster Jr.
The 2015 London Drum Show line-up so far The 2015 edition of the London Drum Show takes place on November 21 and 22. Here are the confirmed artists on the several stages of the festival so far.
