Johnnie J Article
Originally published in: Urban Spectrum (December 2007)
Denver Musical Artist Breaks Blind Boundaries Supports Other Physically Challenged Talent
By George Bamu
On the airwaves, in the nightclubs around the Denver metro area and on the Internet where his radio show is streamed live on ACB radio online, the fans know him as Johnnie J. For listeners of public radio and viewers of public television, Johnnie J. can be heard or seen spinning some favorite old school tunes or contemporary music tracks ranging from hip-hop, Christian and R & B to jazz and soul.
You can catch him producing a show at Denver Open Media studios or watch the
shows on Denver public access stations, channels 57 and 58. His audience is
diverse in age and gender, and they greet and congratulate him on his work when
they see him walking down the sidewalks in their neighborhoods.
Lately, Johnnie J.’s gotten his hands onto newer projects such as Def Comedy
Jam-style programs and the audiences are “wowed” when they discover the real
person behind the entertainment.
“It is kind of fun when people recognize that they are able-bodied and should be
doing more to express themselves and move forward, but find out that ‘here is
this blind guy doing all the things that we should be doing,’” said Johnnie
Wesley Johnson, a blind and very active, able individual.
The Denver resident and Colorado native is a longtime DJ, recording artist,
producer and entertainer. He is tall, strong, agile, outspoken and fast moving.
You would never guess his lack of sight was a challenge for him. He writes his
own scripts, does interviews, edits tapes, runs entire shows and manages a
production company with the aid of various high-tech gadgets and adapted
computer programs but little extra assistance from other people.
He does not want to be confused with and was not named after the legendary St
Louis piano player and blues musician, Johnnie Johnson. Rather, he cherishes the
symbolism behind his parents’ choice of naming him after John Wesley, an early
leader of the Methodist movement.
Johnnie got his start by learning basic audio tape editing in the days of the
reel-to-reel tapes and razor blades, in the studios of then KCFR, now Colorado
Public Radio and under the supervision of John Hendleman.
“In the ‘80s and ‘90s, I was really ambitious and I produced a movie, which the
disabled use and it is called Even Me,” he explained.
His current goal is to take things to the mainstream and into commercial
broadcasting. These activities have taken him to conventions, workshops and
conferences across the country, where he not only advocates for others but
volunteers his time to various causes.
“This is something that I have been given a desire to do, no matter what.
Whether I had a disability or not, this is the direction that I would have
taken,” he said.
Johnnie went blind at age 7 following an allergic reaction to medications he
took for a “breathing spell.” The medication destroyed his tear ducts, which led
to an operation that did not go well and left him blind for life. Though his
family sued Colorado General Hospital at the time, more than 40 years ago, that
did not bring his eyesight back.
His blind condition has not stopped him from doing what he likes to do. Rather,
it has made him venture and thrive in the world full of excitement where he sees
things differently. Johnnie went on to earn associate and bachelor’s degrees in
broadcasting, which today help him make a living despite his disability “There
are a lot of issues that I know about, which a lot of able-bodied people don’t
know,” he said. “Since I was a little kid, I always listened to talk radio and
wanted to be a part of the entertainment segment of radio, but I never thought I
would be in television.”
Years later, at 48, he’s become somewhat of a superstar among the physically
challenged. The core of his friends, colleagues and artists at the Innervision
Studios, which he co-founded with Wayne Turner, are mostly blind people or
disabled in some form.
“Me and my friend Wayne wanted to put together a recording studio that did not
cost a lot of money, because he went out to Los Angeles and it costs a lot of
money to go to a recording studio. So, we came together and decided that we
would make a nonprofit organization where it was not based on the money but
based on getting the projects out there,” Johnnie said “The work that Johnnie
and Wayne are doing truly benefits our community," said Tony Showcross,
executive director and founder of Denver Open Media. "When we designed our
systems at Denver Open Media, we did so with great consideration for people with
disabilities."
Johnnie J. works the phones everyday, he said, making calls and hoping to
attract more sponsorship and support from the community for Innervision Records.
The organization is also doing outreach to showcase other blind and disabled
artists, by granting interviews and promoting their Web site and shows, as well
as staging performances in local bars and restaurants such as The Supreme Court
nightclub and the downtown eatery and music venue JC’s Ground.
The drive to help disabled artists to find creative opportunities to help
themselves, use their talents and keep them busy has strengthened Innervision.
Meanwhile,
Johnnie’s strength has come from his family; including two daughters of 16 and
18, six brothers and one sister, all residing in Colorado.
“My daughters are very much a part of my life, and they visit with me almost
everyday,” he said.
Johnnie’s ambition was always to do something to distinguish himself from other
people, he said.
“Before I went blind, I thought everything was a piece of cake, I could draw
very well, I was learning how to read, but when blindness came, that made it
more challenging and interesting,” he added.
In addition to producing shows for radio and TV, he spends most of his time
advocating for other disabled artists.
“There is so much information that needs to be put out about people with
disabilities so the general public can feel comfortable being around people with
disabilities,” he said, pointing to issues of accessibility, sports and
unemployment.
Seventy percent of the blind community is unemployed, he said, and it is not
because blind people are lazy but because they are not being given
opportunities.
Check out Johnnie's Autobiography
listen to some of his air checks
Copyright 2001, 2005 Innervision Records