Rockin’ N’ Rollin’ with Johnny Jolin

Rockin’ Rollin’ with Johnny Jolin

Written by Gina Tutko
PA Music Scene
August 2011

Born and raised in Montoursville, PA, a ten year old kid was given an acoustic guitar by his grandmother, who knew that was the start of who fans know today as “Rockin’ Rollin’ Johnny Jolin”.

In high school, Johnny Jolin listened to a lot of Kiss and Eric Clapton especially during his Cream years. But at the same time he also listened to Ronnie Milsap and Johnny Cash. Johnny listens to everything… Classical to Southern Rock to Christian to Pop music. He’s really been inspired musically by Kiss and Garth Brooks. Discovered while serving 10 years in the United States Army, Johnny and his band won a talent search competition. Many of the Army bases then started to request his band to perform for special occasions. After serving his country, he decided to focus fully on his music.

This country-rock artist has been playing professionally since 1989 and is currently in the studio after wrapping up a spring/summer tour. He is still going strong after 22 years.

When Johnny was younger he played to prove he could, to impress the girls and to get that big record deal in Nashville. But these days it’s about leaving a musical legacy. “I want to sing songs that I’m proud of. These days, I am a happily married, Christian man and I want my songs to be respectful of my wife and my faith. That is what inspires me,” he said. “Some days I’m on and I write a song in 15 minutes. Other days, I’d have a better chance of finding a fifty dollar bill on the sidewalk than writing a song. I’ve got to be inspired.”

Like most musicians, Johnny thinks the current economy is affecting live music and the venues who continue to support live music. Also without a doubt the internet has been a blessing and a curse. “It has changed music in good and bad ways. Illegal downloading has financially hurt music but at the same time we’re able to reach a bigger audience. I have fans all over the country that found me online and who have never seen me play live,” said Johnny. Along with lead vocals, he plays rhythm and lead guitar. Johnny plays with a full band and also does solo acoustic sets depending on the venue’s budget and needs. His band members include: Tim Breon (lead guitar/bass), Joe “Doc” Agoglia (bass/keys), and Mike Hudson (drums).

Like any country music artist, there’s no place he’d love to play more than the Grand Ole Opry. Opening for the likes of Kenny Chesney or Jason Aldean would be a dream come true for Johnny as the similar music styles and exposure would be an amazing blend of talent. He said, “I would love to do a duet with Pink. I think it would be awesome to bring her edge into a country music song. We would record a hit.” Johnny has shared the stage with dozens of Nashville Recording Artists including Hank Williams III, Ricochet, Confederate Railroad, David Lee Murphy, and Randy Travis to name a few. He was a guest on TNN’s Charlie Daniels’ Talent Round Up and was invited by the U.S. China Foundation to do a two week tour in China in 2004.

“I’ve learned that if it stops being enjoyable then you are doing something wrong. I’ve felt like I was loosing my fire a couple of times and I changed something up, did something different, tried a different style of music and those changes relit the fire for me. I’ve had so many opportunities that many indie artists dream of and I feel so blessed. I have 2 charting songs, played before tens of thousands of people, toured outside the U.S. and it’s really been awesome. But I learned a long time ago to never settle, to always push to the next level. I’m pushing out of the underground stardom and trying to get my first #1 song,” he said. Currently, Johnny’s song “Thank God” is now at #17 on the Christian Country Top 100 and it also debuted at #76 on the Country Gospel Chart. This is Johnny’s first ever Top 20 Single!  This is all new territory for him and it is very exciting.

Johnny tells us about his current album, “One of the best things that has happened to me was signing with LWM Records. They give me so much creative freedom and they believe in me. My good friend and Nashville writer/producer Andrew Scott Wills and I, started working together in the summer of 2008 and it later resulted in the formation of LWM Records. I was the first roster signing. Indie labels obviously don’t have the cash flow that the majors do, but you also have more flexibility. I get to be more involved with decisions.

We just released my self-titled debut album on LWM Records this summer and it’s available on Amazon as well as at live shows. I’m really proud of this project because I raised the bar musically with better songs and better writing than in the past. One of my favorite tracks is “The Gravity” which is a biographical song the I co-wrote with Andrew Scott Wills. The song “Thank God” has really taken on a life of its own. Debuting at #97 on the Christian Country Top 100 back in May, then #38 in July and working its way up to #17 today, so it appears to be going strong. We are working hard promoting the single. It was also the first song that I shot a music video for and we had such a great time shooting it. It was filmed right here in the Susquehanna Valley and the scenery just makes it something special.”

“Thank God” can be found on iTunes and Amazon. Also Johnny Jolin’s full album is available on Amazon and at his shows. Fans can go to his Facebook page or his official website.

Keep supporting live music. The talent in Pennsylvania is abundant if you just take the time to listen.