NEDRA JOHNSON

Nedra Johnson's OUTMUSIC Award-winning songs are a joyful mix of R&B, funk, rock, and gospel. Her two CDs - Testify (1998) andNedra(2005) - feature lush background vocals and danceable grooves. Johnson makes the personal political and the erotic downright spiritual. She has performed internationally as a tuba player/vocalist and a solo artist at jazz, blues, and women’s music festivals; at Pride events; on Olivia cruises for women; and with her father Howard Johnson’s group Gravity. She has surprised and impressed jazz audiences in Paris, Los Angeles, Berlin, New Caledonia, Vienna, New York, Macedonia, Munich, Leverkusen, Chicago, West Palm Beach, New Orleans, and many other far-flung locales. Additionally, she founded and leads Fat Bottom Girls, an all-female band showcasing the country’s best female tuba players (including Velvet Brown). Whether in front of an intimate audience such as at New York City's Rockwood Music Hall or a substantial festival audience of thousands like at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, opening for BB King at the Hollywood Bowl or at the 2016 Black Women Rise kickoff concert in West Palm Beach, Johnson has the ability to perform with both a strength and a vulnerability that makes each listener feel like they are getting to know her on a personal level. Her thoughtful choice of words reflects not only who she is, but speaks to the heart about politics, religion, and love, which has created a fan base diverse in ethnic, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds.