J. CHRIS JOHNSON – GUITAR, BANJO, VOCALS
J. Chris Johnson says he is five feet, fifteen inches tall, and weighs
two hundred and plenty; of course, twenty pounds of that is hair. He
has always called Kansas City, Kansas, home (except for several years
in the Army and a decade or so in Southern California). His career choices may be described as eclectic: from police officer to library assistant to office temp to loading dock laborer, to name a few. For the last few years he has been pursuing his favorite career, as a performer. This includes national tours with the Seem To Be Players (a children’s theatre company from Lawrence, KS), doing street characters and stage acts at various Renaissance festivals, improvizational work with the Wit Pending and Commedia Sans Arte companies in Kansas City, and, recently, coordinating the performing arts program at Alcott Arts Center (a new, grassroots community arts center in Kansas City, KS).
He describes his singing style as “tremendously enthusiastic, yet unencumbered by actual talent.” He mostly plays the 12 string guitar and 6 string banjo, preferring the extra strings in case of breakage.. He is working to add the concertina and bagpipes to this list; may God have mercy on us all. I shared a stage with Chris at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. He would from time to time join me during my shows playing bodhrán, singing harmonies, and interacting with the audiences. He had quite a rapport with the kids in particular. We have performed together for various events in Kansas and Missouri.