Meet Deron R. Johnson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deron R. Johnson.

Hi Deron R., so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up with a mother who was a dancer and a father who was a jazz lover and a mechanic. My musical adventure started pretty much when I was sixteen. I was a football fanatic and dreamt of a career in the NFL. I got injured in a game and broke my ankle and had to have surgery and rehab. There was a piano in the house, and my brother taught me a few songs the feeling stuck, and it felt like something I needed to investigate further…I studied very hard in college and at 22 years old, did my first audition for Paula Abdul and got the gig! After her tour, I was playing a lot of local jazz gigs around Los Angeles, where I met Vince Wilburn Jr., who thought I would be a good fit for the Miles Davis band. I quickly put a tape together and sent it to Vince, and he sent it on. A few weeks later I got a phone call from Miles that he wanted me to come to his house along with Vince.

Miles spoke about me going on tour and that some of the music we’d be playing would be songs given to him by Prince. I flew to New York for one rehearsal and flew to Milan for the first gig. I played on two records and did three tours with him before he passed! What an adventure. It gave me the keys to the jazz kingdom.

From then on I went on to tour with luminaries such as Stanley Clarke, Larry Carlton, Billy Cobham, David Sanborn, Seal, and Alanis Morrisette. I’ve recorded as a session musician for countless recordings over the years.

In 2013, I went to work at a major film production company as their Head Of Music, and since then I have composed music for films, documentaries, trailers, and podcasts, I am now Head Of Music at QCode Media, where I am scoring all of their narrative podcasts.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been blessed with a largely smooth road, but of course, there have been struggles along the way. As an artist, composer and musician, my struggle has always been to stay authentic to myself and not to absorb or listen to outside opinions of what others thought I needed to do. I’m incredibly grateful for this adventure. We create hyper-immersive environments, and we must encourage connection and continue to build community.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a composer, pianist, and producer. What sets me apart from others is that I have the ability to elevate musical situations.

I love improvisation the most, where you have to kind of walk on a high wire, balancing all of the elements of sound simultaneously. As a musician, I am most proud of a few things: Playing with the legend Miles Davis of course, getting to play solo piano every night for a very indie crowd with Alanis Morissette. As a composer, getting my music in films like Tulip Fever, August Osage County and working with Jeff Nichols on a QCode project. It was a Lalo Schifrin-inspired score, which is right up my alley.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I would advise that you must listen more than you play. I wish that I had asked more questions from my peers. There will be many moments of self-doubt, and mostly I took each moment, good or bad, as something I could learn from. I always stayed pretty even-keeled, not getting too full of myself or being too hard on myself, so I think these are good attributes to have as a growing musician. Practicing correctly is another key element. I learned over many years to practice quite small or bite-sized pieces of music. The musician that plays a few things very well is much more important in my book than a jack-of-all-trades!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.deronjohnsonmusic.com
• Instagram: @deronjohnsonmusic

Image Credits
Damian Hudson jacket photo Jasmine Joseph-Danielpour black and white synth photo selfie third photo