TROY JOHNSON
Former Motown Artist Returns To Urban Realm with Self-Titled Album,
Indie Label Dedicated to 'Powerful Music with a Positive Message '
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“It's You,” The First Single From Singer/Songwriter's
Sought After Entertainment Debut, Ties In with Stand F.I.R.M.,
An Awareness Campaign Dedicated to Promoting Fidelity in Marriage
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Stand F.I.R.M. To Kick Off With August 9 Concert in Little Rock,
Featuring Johnson , Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Host of NFL and NBA Superstars
Like many former major label artists who have found their second wind by going fully independent, Troy Johnson (www.saentertainment.com ) is excited about coming back and doing things his way—which includes a brand new self-titled album produced by hitmaker Bobby Avila (Usher, Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton), co-ownership of his own label (Sought After Entertainment), and a sizzling first single (“It's You”) that ironically bears the same title as a song he recorded on his late 80s Motown album Getting a Grip on Love. For both the artist and his fans, the matching song title signals a powerful rebirth of his lifelong creative calling.
Currently being worked at urban and urban AC radio (and already a hit on the Movie Tunes network), “It's You” and Troy Johnson the album are just the beginning for Sought After Entertainment (SA Entertainment), the company Johnson owns with David Turner, a 19 year independent business owner and entrepreneur, distributed by Cyrus Distribution. The pair is currently in the studio with their first signed outside act, a three girl Latina group called Chica, whose music blends rhythmic CHR pop, rap and Hispanic influences; the trio's debut is scheduled for a September release.
“Our mission statement is simple,” says Johnson. “We exist to bring excellence and integrity to the world of music through powerful music with a positive message. My album reflects my own relationship with God, which trickles down to my wonderful relationship with Denise, my wife of 15 years, and a heart towards all of the difficulties plaguing people throughout the world. Songs like ‘Love and Peace' talk about making a difference on a larger level, but there's also a more interpersonal element. At its core, it's a very romantic, positive and encouraging recording.”
In line with that philosophy, Johnson and Turner are launching Stand F.I.R.M., an exciting public awareness campaign dedicated to promoting the value and virtue of fidelity in marriage. Inspired by the lyrics of “It's You” (“I don't need to roam/I've got a good thing right at home”) and the story portrayed in the accompanying music video, the campaign—whose full name is Fidelity Initiative Restore Marriage — aims to restore fidelity to marriage through education, encouragement and empowerment of men and women.
Scheduled for August 9 in Little Rock Arkansas , the kickoff concert event for Stand F.I.R.M. will be hosted by Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a renowned proponent of the Covenant Marriage Act. Joining Johnson and the governor in extolling the joys of lasting love and enduring marriage will be will be ten NFL stars, including Steve Young and Darrel Green, and NBA greats such as AC Green (Los Angeles Lakers) and Alan Houston (New York Knicks).
With an eye towards making Stand F.I.R.M. a fully sponsored national foundation, Johnson and Turner also plan to pitch the concept as a talk show featuring athletes talking about being faithful to their wives. Their website will feature testimonies and certificates of achievement for those dedicated to “standing firm,” and they will also be planning quarterly events in different cities.
“We're very committed to the ongoing encouragement of fidelity in marriage and showing the destructive, hurtful effects of cheating and divorce,” says Johnson, who has been married to his wife Denise (the inspiration for “It's You”) for 15 years and has four daughters. “We realize there are a lot of people who are not content in their relationships, but we're encouraged that recent polls show that something like 84% of people want and expect an exclusive love in their life. We're hoping to turn that expectation into a reality for more and more people.”
All of these exciting new creative and socially conscious activities happily recall Troy Johnson's early days as a rising star in the music industry. Starting with “I Must Be Doing Something Right,” his song on the Blame It On Rio film soundtrack, the well- known singer/songwriter enjoyed a string of popular R&B and gospel hit singles over the course of four albums on Motown, RCA and Word/Epic throughout the 80s and early 90s. He followed the earlier “It's You”--a Top 20 R&B hit—with the #13 pop hit “The Way It Is” and had his first #1 single (on the Christian/CHR charts with “I'll Be There With You,” from his 1991 release I Will .
In 2004, after more than a decade away from recording and several years after moving with his family from Southern California to Scottsdale , Arizona , he decided on a whim to buy a Phoenix recording studio. “I just thought it would be fun to have a studio to tinker around in again,” says Johnson, who also plays keyboards, bass and guitar. “None of what happened was planned at all. Over the years, I thought maybe someday I'd make music again, but I never set out with any specific ideas. Once I started working with the equipment, I sat down to write and play some songs, and all this new material started pouring out. I became more prolific than I was even back in the day.”
When Johnson felt he had enough material to record a new project, he called his old pal Avila , a former labelmate at RCA whom he hadn't spoken with in 12 years. The singer literally had no idea that the Grammy nominated Avila —who hails from Johnson's hometown, San Bernardino , California --had produced tracks over the years for R&B's biggest names. True to Johnson's spiritual and musical essence, the soulful collection features songs with positive, forward thinking lyrics and organic R&B sounds that are truly refreshing in an age of cynicism and machine generated grooves.
Says Avila , “The style, presentation and impact of Troy Johnson's music is nothing less than groundbreaking. I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship.”
Johnson adds, “I'm really enjoying the adventure of not only being a recording artist again but also a record company owner. I love being involved in every aspect of a project, from writing and recording to marketing and advertising. The things about the business I didn't understand as an artist years ago, I totally understand now. It's been a very exciting crash course in every respect.”
