Brad Vee Johnson

Born and raised in New York City, his love for music and singing was formed at an early age by the influence of his mother, Deloris Aida Johnson, singing in the church gospel choir and his father William Edward Johnson, a pastor and jazz pianist. He studied music at the High School for the Performing Arts (FAME school) under Dorothy McDaniels and studied voice with legendary jazz singer Marie Blake. Ms. Blake offered him his first public singing appearance at the now defunct Five Oaks Piano Bar and Supper Club located on Grove Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. He also studied acting at HB Studios with William Hickey, acclaimed actor and coach.

After graduating from New York University, he relocated to Europe in 1986 where he took up residence in Stockholm, Sweden. There he continued his singing career and furthered it by performing in various musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar at Østre Gasværk Teater in Copenhagen, Denmark under the direction of Lars Kaalund, Showboat, Company, Miss Saigon Malmö, The Buddy Holly Story at Göta Lejon in Stockholm, The Lion King in Scandinavia, Germany and the Netherlands. In 1992 he met Sheyla Bonnick, founding member of Boney M with whom he continues to tour to this day under the Sounds of Boney M Formation. In 1994, he also successfully started Sweden’s premiere gospel choir One Voice together with singer and friend Blossom Tainton.

He relocated to Romania in 2004 after a concert at the then called Tutankamon (now Obsession) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania where he was immediately offered a record contract with Roton Records. He recorded two house/club singles with Romanian composer DJ Raoul. During his time in Romania he organized a number of concerts in order to raise awareness on Romanian youth suffering from HIV/AIDS and the stigma it may carry. He has since relocated to Budapest where he is currently based, performing both locally and internationally with his gospel group, jazz and blues band, and under the formation of the Sounds of Boney M with Sheyla Bonnick. He earned his PhD in Sociology in 2012 based on his work on researching and shedding light on the inequality present in the modern education system.

• www.quantumleaps.ro

Interviews

• (in Romanian) Brad Vee Johnson: Am ramas in Romania pentru ca am un copil aici, nu pentru ca n-am avut alta sansa, 22 septembrie 2011, Corina Stoica, Revista Tango