Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Williams.
Hi Johnny , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Was raised listening to music everywhere I went. At home music was always playing, my grandparents, aunts and uncles, music was always playing. Not only would it be playing, it would be dissected, given opinions, history leasons on the song, cultural importance etc. I was obsessed and focused almost only on music most of my life. If music was playing I was very happy. And that’s from old country as Hank Williams, Willie Nelson to classic rock such as Tom Petty and Pink Floyd or songwriter guitarists such as James Taylor and Jim Crocce. Old bluegrass was a staple in my types of music as a child.
I was an athlete and still am, my passion for that is almost as much as my passion for music. I was a wrestler, a football player, and track and field. But when I was 15 I borrowed an old junky guitar and played that til my fingers bled. I worked all summer on a specific job that year and got myself my first guitar. A light colored acoustic alvarez. I played that baby all day. After I graduated I was traveling solo around the country for several months on a walkabout and while on that journey my car was broken into and that guitar was stolen. My heart was broken. When I got back to Minnesota I was given another Alvarez guitar to play and played that guitar for almost a decade until I recently got my Martin guitar which I absolutely love. That was about the time I started writing songs.
Some of my most inluential artist of my adult life have been, Bon Iver, Paolo Nutini, Jack Johnson, Passenger, Mumford and Sons, Hank Williams Jr, Colter Wall, and CAAMP.
The summer of 2024 I released a musical project called “OUTLAW POET EP” which was recorded in my home in a studio I built in a closet! I wrote these songs, mostly recorded them all.
“OUTLAW POET EP” has had over 35k streams on all platforms so far!
It is composed of 4 songs from an upcoming album titled “tales of the outlaw poet”. After I released that, I released a cover of “Smooth” written by Rob Thomas for Santana. A little over a year later I released another cover of a song called “Jersey Giant” written by Tyler Childers. My latest release was a single called “I’ll Be Mine”, and was written by myself and recorded by myself and my friend Gary Vanluling on the bass, electric guitar and a local Minnesota musician on the drums.
I have been playing some local shows since I have moved back to Minnesota last October and working very hard to build a presence here. I love other artists similar to myself and love trying to to help promote them in any way possible. I do have a podcast in which this is the main focus called “OUTLAW POET PODCAST” which has aired two episodes, one with a fantastic musician from Austin Texas by the name of John Wheeler, and the second with an incredible singer who was on last years “American Idol by the name of Clara Rae.
The house I own is a big Victorian styled house that was built in 1890 and owned by only one family until I bought it at the end of 2022. There is a third level of the house that was unfinished and is now being renovated into a large studio for recording which I am super excited about!
Excited to speak with you 🙂
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It seems to be a very slow road. Finding exactly what path I’d like to take my musical career has been a huge struggle. Learning how to record and using all of the technology has been my biggest struggle in that sense.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So other than music I have lived a very blue collar life. Spending most of my time building houses, I have also worked as a lumberjack, home renovator, and in construction for myself.
Right now I am very proud of my project “OUTLAW POET EP” and my single “I’ll Be Mine”. I am proud of my original songs and the writing and how they all came together after so much work was put into them all.
One of the things that separates me from others is my stories in the songs I write. I take much pride in my lyrics and portraying the image that is my song in my mind.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Ooof I am still looking for a mentor. I have really had trouble finding like minded people in my music career. It seems like most people want music to be a competition or an ego boost. I have had a few mentors for short whiles but I have been self taught on about every level of my music career.
I have been making some connections since I’ve moved back and I think connecting with as many people in the industry as possible is very important. Make some real friends and never give up. Find what separate you from everyone else and learn to love that. But again if it’s your dream, don’t give up. Just keep going and working and you will get better and strive to be better. Improving every chance you can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://johnnywilliams.komi.io/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlawpoetproductions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BsMPwmF5G/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@johnnywilliamsmusic
Image Credits
Louma Studio (Skylar Storkamp)
Johnny Williams
