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Sound Circuit

Shaun Johnson

11/30/2022

When musicians perform two nights in a row, it’s generally the same concert. However, when Shaun Johnson appears at Hoyt Sherman Place two consecutive nights, he’ll perform completely different concerts with The Big Band Experience and Tonic Sol-fa on Dec. 16 and 17.

Johnson is part of the acapella group Tonic Sol-fa. He joined the original group in college when they added a fifth member. He’s been the lead vocalist for the past 15 years.

When the group first started singing, they struggled to fit in with other musical genres.

“There wasn’t a lot of acapella groups at the time,” says Johnson. “We’d try to convince people that we could sing for more than an hour. We competed with punk groups and other pop groups. It’s not just singing, but the entertainment part. We had to show people we didn’t just sing doo-wop songs.”

Since then, the acapella group’s popularity has exploded into the mainstream with groups such as Pentatonix and Straight No Chaser. Acapella means performing without instruments. Rhythm and beat sounds often are created by the singer’s hands or mouth.

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Tonic Sol-fa has sold $2 million in albums, with 15 albums to their credit. Tonic Sol-fa won an Emmy Award in the Musical Composition/Arrangement category. They play approximately 100 concerts a year in 48 states. They were inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, as that’s where the band originated from — St. John’s University.

Johnson founded his second group in 2016. The Big Band Experience began as a Christmas charity event. Johnson explored big-band-era music, such as Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé type songs, studying what constitutes a big-band sound.

He knew a traditional big band might be too large. 

“It’s a nod to the original big bands. We started with different arrangements. That grew to a wide variety of songs,” he explains.

After several years of charity shows at Christmas time, he wanted to take the band a step further. In 2018, the Big Band Experience began touring and was on its own televised PBS television special, “The Spirit of the Season.” The band’s debut album, “Capitol,” debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. Music lovers of all age groups attend the concerts.

“People are rediscovering that era, and anyone who loves music can appreciate it. I consider myself a traditional pop vocalist but not like the pop you hear on the radio. The older crowd says to keep the music going,” he says.

He’s worked on arrangements, written new songs and wants to entertain folks with his own music. 

“I didn’t want to do an ode to Frank Sinatra. It’s considered a small big band,” he explains.

His band includes talented musicians, including one of the Tonic Sol-fa singers, Theo Brown, who plays piano in his Big Band Experience.

As a native of Algona, Johnson didn’t ever imagine singing professionally. He attended college to study law. When the opportunity for Tonic Sol-fa came, he jumped on it. 

“I could always go back to law school if it didn’t work out,” he recalls.

Johnson is pleasantly surprised at his full-time singing career. 

“The hardest part is marketing and treating music as a business,” he says. “I have a couple, Michelle and Gary, who have been wonderful business mentors over the years. I’ve learned it’s not just about singing.”

He’s written songs for the Prague Orchestra, along with other music collaborations, and is releasing a new album soon. The Big Band Experience has opened up touring opportunities.

“There’s venues I never thought I’d play at with Tonic Sol-fa, but now the Big Band Experience plays at different clubs, outdoor festivals and more. It’s such an adventure,” he says. “It’s exciting to do both.” 

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