 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
 James Johns and Karen Houle Johns met in Seattle, Washington on January 15, 1989. The couple wrote two songs on their first date and that marked the beginning of their extensive library of original music compositions. They performed and recorded as a duo and as a secular band throughout the Pacific Northwest that entire year. In 1990, James and Karen put forth a strategy to earn enough money to purchase their own professional recording studio and went to work as commercial fishermen on the Bering Sea in Alaska. October 1991, one week after their wedding and honeymoon, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee.
In total, the Johns couple produced 2 indie rock albums, 5 contemporary Christian albums (Isaiah 12 Records) and 4 jazz albums (PtarmiganMusic/Jazz) all published by Vital Force (ASCAP.) As affiliates of the Gospel Music Association, their Christian albums were released under the group name Karen Johns Band. As members of the Tennessee Valley Jazz Association, their jazz albums were released under the ensemble name Karen Johns & Company. Their second and third jazz albums rose into the Top 40 and Top 10 jazz station charts, gleaning stellar press reviews and accolades throughout the industry.
Exactly one day after the release of their first Christian album, Karen and James welcomed the birth of their son Gabriel. Less than two years later and one month before the release of their second Christian album, they welcomed the birth of their son Ezra. For the Johns couple, becoming a family was their greatest blessing.
In 1998, the family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada where James graduated from Canadian Bible College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in world missions and intercultural ministries. The following semester, he began his Master of Divinity degree at Canadian Theological Seminary. Likewise in 2002, Karen graduated from that seminary with her Master of Arts degree in Religion. (Note: the schools relocated to Calgary, Alberta, renamed Ambrose University.) James and Karen continued songwriting and re-formed the Karen Johns Band with international student musicians from Latin America, Africa, and Canada. They performed live throughout the Provence.
In spring of 2002, the Johns family returned to Tennessee and settled in Franklin just south of Nashville. As they raised their sons to adulthood, James and Karen continued to write/compose, produce, publish, concertize/tour, and travel regionally, nationally, and internationally. They occasionally recorded and performed as a family.
Their last published work released in 2016, was a double album soundtrack, AMERICAN MOTHER LODE, a two-Act swing-jazz musical created by composer and librettist Karen Houle Johns, and engineered/produced by James E. Johns.
It must be noted that with all their studio and stage projects, the Johns couple worked with some of the finest and most reputable professional session and live musicians, arrangers, and co-composers based in the Southern region of the USA.
Karen was born in Wenatchee, Washington and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. Throughout grade school, high school, and college, Karen was formally trained and educated in voice, dance, and acting. She performed several lead roles in plays, musicals, and operas, and won her fair share of awards, state/regional championships, and scholarships. At university including a six-month overseas study at University of Copenhagen in Denmark, she majored in music and minored in international journalism. At that time, Karen traveled extensively throughout West and East Europe, Russia, and Israel. After her M.A. degree, Karen obtained another B.A. degree in English and Theatre, and commenced studies for a Doctorate of Divinity degree.
James was born in Dover, Delaware and raised in Yakima, Washington where he studied guitar, bass, and drums. He was an avid downhill skier, mountain climber and cross-country bicyclist. In addition to his musicianship, and audio/visual engineering expertise, James (aka Jim) was a culinary arts trained chef and a professional arborist. In 2018, James was diagnosed with small cell cancer. In the compassionate comfort and care of his home with his family at his side, James Edwin Johns passed away to glory on July 27, 2019. His amazing music is celebrated in every song and album he ever composed, performed, and produced with his wife, sons, and fellow musicians.
Links:
RedHotBonkers.com
AmericanMotherLode.com
VitalForcePublishing.com
KarenJohns.com
PtarmiganMusic.com
KargaJamezFilms.com
JimJohnsTree.com
YouTube Channel
Instagram
Facebook (Vital Force)
Blogger
Facebook (Karen Johns & Co.)
|
|
|
|
 |
