{"id":16918,"date":"2019-07-24T05:30:11","date_gmt":"2019-07-24T09:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=16918"},"modified":"2019-05-24T12:18:08","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T16:18:08","slug":"16918","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2019\/07\/24\/16918\/","title":{"rendered":"For Caleb Johnson, The Second and Third Times are the Charm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: Caleb Johnson is a “local boy makes good” hometown success story here in Asheville. I wrote this feature on the eve of his current tour. This version is an expanded edit of the piece I filed at Mountain Xpress<\/em>. — bk<\/span><\/p>\n

Just days after his 23rd<\/sup> birthday \u2013 and after three years of trying \u2013 Asheville singer and musician Caleb Johnson was crowned the winner of American Idol<\/i>‘s 13th season competition. Less than a year later, he released his debut album. Now \u2013 just past the five-year anniversary of his television win \u2013 Johnson is releasing what he considers his true solo debut recording. Kicking off a tour in support of Born from Southern Ground<\/i>, Caleb Johnson played at Asheville’s Grey Eagle on June 13.<\/p>\n

Johnson’s musical journey began when he was a student at Clyde A. Erwin Middle School; a friend and classmate lent him a rock CD. \u201cHe let me borrow Queen\u2019s Greatest Hits<\/i>,\u201d Johnson recalls. \u201cAnd I was completely sold.\u201d The budding rocker’s tastes soon expanded to include Led Zeppelin, Rush, Black Sabbath and Van Halen. He kept digging, soon developing a passion for soul music: \u201cAretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Little Richard, Otis Redding … all that good stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Growing up in Ashevile as the city developed its reputation as a hotbed of many musical styles was a key influence for the Johnson as a teenager. \u201cBeing able to go downtown and listen to music affected me in a really big way,\u201d he says. By the time he was 18, Johnson was playing open mic nights at Pack’s Tavern. In 2010 he joined the band Elijah Hooker as lead vocalist; one of that band’s first gigs was sharing a bill at Tall Gary’s with Andrew Scotchie and the River Rats.<\/p>\n

With Elijah Hooker, Johnson took part in a Battle of the Bands competition in Marion, N.C. His band didn’t win, but he did cross paths with a fellow contestant, then-unknown Charlotte singer-songwriter Luke Combs.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, by 2012, Johnson had already auditioned twice for American Idol<\/i>. He was first inspired to get on the TV show after a freak accident. \u201cI was run over by my own car,\u201d he says with a laugh, \u201cand I was laid up in a hospital for two weeks.\u201d Immobile and bedridden, he watched a lot of television. When he saw American Idol<\/i>, he thought to himself, \u201cYou know what? I could probably do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once recovered \u2013 and with the support and encouragement of his family \u2013 Johnson traveled to Nashville to audition. \u201cI was so nervous that I sang with my eyes closed,\u201d he says. Still, the show’s producer remained impressed. Johnson remembers being told, \u201cYou have a really special gift. You need to go back and take some time and really find yourself.\u201d He moved on to subsequent auditions in Austin and Hollywood, but didn’t make the cut for the broadcast.<\/p>\n

Johnson continued to hone his delivery and stage presence at home with Elijah Hooker, and came back to audition for American Idol<\/i> the next year. This time he did even better. around for a second audition less than a year later. \u201cI made it through the Las Vegas round, and was cut right before the live shows,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He took a year off. Johnson remembers telling his parents, \u201cI want to write an original record [2013’s Elijah Hooker<\/i>], do some shows and really get some more experience under my belt before I go do something like [auditioning for American Idol<\/i>] again.\u201d When auditions for the show’s 13th<\/sup> season began, Johnson’s dad encouraged him to try once more. But Johnson was reluctant, wanting to focus on his band for awhile longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad looked me in the eye and said, ‘You really shouldn\u2019t not do something and then regret not doing it 10, 20 years on down the line,’\u201d Johnson says. So he relented. \u201cI went and did it, got to the live shows and then won the whole damn thing.\u201d He gives all credit to his father. \u201cI probably wouldn\u2019t be talking to you right now if he hadn\u2019t said that to me,\u201d Johnson says.<\/p>\n

In the wake of his win, Johnson was hustled into a recording studio to capitalize on his newfound fame. Looking back, he has little positive to say about that particular experience. \u201cIt was basically just product to be put out in the market after I won the show,\u201d he says. \u201cThere was no consideration for me as an artist or singer.\u201d Johnson says that Testify<\/i> \u201cis overproduced, and completely disrespects all the fans that supported it, invested in it and voted for me on Idol<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n

But some good did come out of the Testify<\/i> sessions, Johnson established a working relationship with Nashville songwriter Blair Daly. And Daly is his co-writer for much of his new record, Born from Southern Ground<\/i>. Together, Johnson and Daly have crafted a collection of songs that build on the influences of groups like the Black Crowes and other enduring heroes of heartfelt, high energy Southern rock.<\/p>\n

Johnson’s uncle \u2013 famed Nashville session musician and Asheville native Bryan Sutton \u2013 produced the record. \u201cHe listened to what I wanted, and then helped make that happen,\u201d Johnson enthuses. He characterizes the difference between Testify<\/i> and the new release as \u201cnight and day. I consider Born from Southern Ground<\/i> to be my first record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson celebrates his local roots in the music video for the song \u201cBorn and Raised.\u201d That video features Johnson driving his brother’s 1966 Mustang along Leicester Highway. He doesn’t get to spend a lot of time in Asheville these days, but keeps up with the local music scene as best as he can. Johnson names two acts \u2013 Scotchie’s River Rats and the Broadcast \u2013 for special praise. \u201cAnd for the most part, the musicians I use out on the road are Asheville-based,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

And after the Grey Eagle gig, the road awaits. Asked about his future plans, the relentlessly upbeat Johnson quotes Doobie Brothers-era Michael McDonald: \u201cTakin’ it to the streets,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note: Caleb Johnson is a “local boy makes good” hometown success story here in Asheville. I wrote this feature on the eve of his current tour. This version is an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,49,62],"tags":[180,237,3884],"class_list":["post-16918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-new-release","category-rawk","tag-american-idol","tag-asheville","tag-caleb-johnson","cat-41-id","cat-49-id","cat-62-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16918"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16921,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16918\/revisions\/16921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}