Prelude to a Legacy 7.31.09: Jim Johnston
Posted by Fred Richani on 07.31.2009
One of the greatest musical composers you've never heard of...
Jim Johnston is one of the greatest musical composers to ever grace the studio. His music is heard by millions all across the globe via live events, television, pay-per-views, and even compilation albums. Some of the people he has composed for include Mark Calloway, Michael Hickenbottom, Steve Williams, and Dwayne Johnson. More popularly, the aforementioned are known to the public as The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and The Rock—all current or former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstars.
Before entering the behind-the-scenes world of sports entertainment, Johnston served as a composer of bumpers and commercial cues for MTV and VH-1. After doing that for a bit, Johnston ran into a WWE producer at a sushi restaurant one day, not realizing that one meeting out of the blue would change his life forever. He soon began his WWE career composing TV themes and commercial jingles, much like his prior job.
However, Johnston soon saw his interest lean more towards wrestlers' themes over time and eventually became a complete music composer for the company. He is the true definition of the unknown celebrity. Some non-wrestling fans reading this piece may think I'm foolish for even bothering to profile Johnston, but I like to say I think he is a good topic of discussion. WWE is an athletic form of entertainment. Keyword, people: ENTERTAINMENT.
Music in any type of production can make you sad, scared, upbeat, mellow, and many forms of emotion. If P. Diddy held a concert with the first song he plays being "I'll Be Missing You", it's safe to say the crowd might be in a somewhat sad mood, as the track evokes emotion of loss and missing those gone from our lives. Likewise, a theme song for a WWE superstar can hint at their personality and tell the crowd how to feel.
The greatest example of this from Johnston could very well be numerous versions of The Undertaker's theme song, complete which organs and gongs. Whether Undertaker played a babyface (good guy) or heel (villain), there was no doubt about it, when his music hit, you knew what to expect—a giant, expressionless S.O.B., who is ready to inflict pain and suffering on his opponent or as he stated himself: resting them in peace.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin's theme song was another revolutionary track. When that glass broke at the beginning of the song, you knew whether you loved him or hated him, the native Texan was bound to raise some hell as he so discreetly put it. Even if some themes are sung by artists, a vast majority of the time it was Johnston who produced and wrote the songs heard of WWE programming.
After years of hard work, Johnston has gotten his due for his loyalty and incredible talent by being the proud owner of five Gold plaques, along with a lone Platinum one from the sales of WWE's compilation albums. He has stayed working behind the scenes, due to his stage fright. Heck, I couldn't even find a picture of him on Google! You may have never heard of him prior to this column, but bear in mind, if you are a wrestling fan who can feel the exciting aura when a theme song of your favorite superstar blasts through the arena speakers or even someone who has at least watched a WWE program only to have a jingle of a song stuck in your head, chances are it was due to the man they call Jim Johnston—one of wrestling's unsung heroes.
Jim Johnston's discography includes:
See you at the shows or in Johnston's case, the matches!
