Joe Johnson (43)

US sax player. b. c. 1952, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. As a child Johnson sang in the church choir and during his days as a high school student he began playing saxophones. Later, he studied music as Tennessee State University. Drawing his musical interest from gospel and contemporary R&B, he was influenced by jazz musicians as varied as Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker and Kirk Whalum, David Sanborn and Grover Washington Jnr. He began working as a session musician in Nashville, playing countless dates in the jingle mills, and gradually establishing a name as a smooth jazz player. He toured as opening act for many big name artists of county music, soul, R&B, gospel and jazz.