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Jim Johnston (composer)

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Jim Johnston
Birth nameJames Alan Johnston
Also known asJames A. Johnston
GenresRock, Pop, Hip Hop, Dance Music, Heavy Metal, Folk Music, World Music, Rap
OccupationComposer
Years active1985–present

James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A. Johnston and James Alan Johnston.

Johnston's chief role in WWE is providing the soundtrack for WWE programming, in addition to providing musical content for WWE's large output of video games and website content. Johnston achieved fame for producing many of the memorable entrance theme songs for the WWE Superstars, including The Undertaker, The Rock, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, amongst hundreds of others superstars, many of which have been released on commercial albums and through iTunes.

Beyond superstar entrance themes, Johnston also composes music for the majority of WWE's PPV and Television productions, including show themes, music videos, vignettes, commercials and tributes. He likens his work to that of scoring a live action movie, "“A standard scenario is we get a call from our executive producer: ‘We’ve got a new guy coming,' or ‘He’s breaking out of a tag team and he needs music.' It's like scoring for a movie: Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Is he light and svelte and quick-moving, which dictates a fast tempo, or is he a big plodding kind of a guy, in which case you need a big, heavy, the-wrath-of-God-is-coming-upon-us sound?"[1]

Johnston has mentioned in past interviews that he suffers from stage fright and a fear of live audiences, and it was this fear that led to him seeking a more 'studio oriented' music career.[citation needed] His first job in the entertainment business was working with MTV and VH1 to create bumpers and commercial cues, before a chance meeting in a sushi restaurant with a WWF producer led to him joining Vince McMahon's professional wrestling company. Initially composing TV themes for shows and commercial buffers as they were needed, Johnston gravitated towards becoming complete Composer, Director and Producer of Music for the company.

Johnston has scored several film projects for WWE Studios, with his most recent work being "The Chaperone" starring Triple H. He also provided music for other WWE-affiliated products including the World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL.

Johnston is well known for writing, composing and producing all his compositions alone, in addition to playing all instruments. He will occasionally recruit outside vocalists or additional musicians to contribute when the piece requires, and often prefers to bring in unsigned bands and new artists to provide vocals. In 2008, Johnston publicly expressed his frustration to Billboard Magazine at the inability of WWE to secure better promotional deals with artists due to a lack of understanding of the WWE product. He said, ""One of my frustrations is getting the word out about just how much music is used in our product. The labels will stumble over themselves to get on MTV, but no one's watching MTV." Conversely, WWE and Johnston have been responsible for helping to fuel a surge in sales for associated acts such as Fuel, Shinedown and Motorhead through their use in WWE productions.[2]

Successes

Since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking U.S. album sales in 1991, Johnston has released 17 WWE albums that have sold a combined 5.9 million units. Most have appeared in the Billboard 200, with many achieving gold and even platinum certification status. The top seller overall is "WWF: The Music, Vol. 3," released in 1998, and which went Platinum. The album sold a total 1.2 million units in the United States alone.[3]

Appearances

Johnston appears on the videotape Piledriver - The Wrestling Album 2 to introduce the video for Girls in Cars. He orchestrated the live band at the WWF Slammy Awards ceremonies, and traveled across the U.S. in 1995 as part of the "Raw Band". He also appeared on camera at WrestleMania XIV and the 1998 SummerSlam playing the DX theme with the Chris Warren Band. Johnston also had a brief clip in the film Beyond the Mat discussing his reasoning behind Vader's theme music. Johnston also appears on the bonus DVD for WWE Originals the 2004 album by the same name. The DVD features a 30 minute behind-the-scenes documentary on Johnston, offering insights into the composing, producing and directing of the album. There are also some humorous interactions of Johnston with Jonathan Coachman and Steve Austin. Johnston also appears on The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior discussing the Ultimate Warrior's theme song, and how it was able to be truly representative of the character. Johnston also appeared on the WWF WrestleMania XV DVD Extras, commenting on WWE's music, and how music is crucial in World Wrestling Entertainment.

Filmography

James Alan Johnston composed the music for the last three films produced by WWE Studios, Legendary (starring John Cena), Knucklehead (starring The Big Show), and The Chaperone (starring Triple H). He also wrote the score for No Holds Barred starring Hulk Hogan, and contributed the track, "Ahmed Johnson" to Beyond the Mat.[4]

Discography

(Single) (September 1,2011)

  • Alga (version 2)- The Usos Entrance Theme (Single) (September 1,2011)
  • WWE Night of Champions (Official Theme Song) - (Single) (September 3,2011)

Awards

BMI Film & TV Awards

Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s)
2002 Won BMI Cable Award WWF Raw (1993)[22]
2003 Won BMI Cable Award WWF Raw (1993)[22]
2004 Won BMI Cable Award WWF Raw (1993)[22]
2008 Won BMI Cable Award WWF Raw (1993)[22]

Notes

  1. ^ Sound for the WWE-Creating the Sound for the WWE. Mixonline.com (2004-04-01). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  2. ^ Billboard – Google Books. Books.google.com (2008-06-21). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  3. ^ High, Kamau. (2008-06-15) Music a key element in WWE brand profile. Reuters. Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  4. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0218043/soundtrack
  5. ^ WWE.com page for WWE – The Music, Vol. 8[dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Consumer Products". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  7. ^ Legendary (Music from the Motion Picture) by James Alan Johnston & Various Artists – Download Legendary (Music from the Motion Picture) on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2010-09-28). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  8. ^ Knucklehead (Music from the Motion Picture) [WWE] by James Alan Johnston & Various Artists – Download Knucklehead (Music from the Motion Picture) [WWE] on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2010-11-02). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  9. ^ WWE – The Chaperone (Music from the Motion Picture) by James Alan Johnston & Various Artists – Download WWE – The Chaperone (Music from the Motion Picture) on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-02-18). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  10. ^ WWE: Broken Dreams (Drew McIntyre) [feat. Shaman's Harvest] – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Broken Dreams (Drew McIntyre) [feat. Shaman's Harvest] – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2010-11-30). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  11. ^ WWE: Smoke & Mirrors (Cody Rhodes) [feat. TVTV] – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Smoke & Mirrors (Cody Rhodes) [feat. TVTV] – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2001-11-30). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  12. ^ WWE: I Come from Money (Ted DiBiase) [feat. S-Preme] – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: I Come from Money (Ted DiBiase) [feat. S-Preme] – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2010-11-07). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  13. ^ WWE: "Electrifying" (feat. The Rock) – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: "Electrifying" (feat. The Rock) – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-03-24). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  14. ^ WWE: Realeza (Alberto Del Rio) [feat. Mariachi Real De Mexico] – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Realeza (Alberto Del Rio) [feat. Mariachi Real De Mexico] – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-04-25). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  15. ^ WWE: Ancient Spirit (Sin Cara) – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Ancient Spirit (Sin Cara) – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-05-24). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  16. ^ WWE: Here and Gone (Macho Man) – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Here and Gone (Macho Man) – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-05-27). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  17. ^ WWE: Capital (Official PPV Theme Song/Capitol Punishment) – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Capital (Official PPV Theme Song/Capitol Punishment) – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-05-27). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  18. ^ WWE: End of Days (Wade Barrett) – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: End of Days (Wade Barrett) – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-06-01). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  19. ^ WWE: Tyrannosaurus (Tyler Reks) – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Tyrannosaurus (Tyler Reks) – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-06-13). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  20. ^ WWE: Strong and Sexy (Gail Kim) – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Strong and Sexy (Gail Kim) – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-06-13). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  21. ^ WWE: Money In the Bank (Official Theme Song) – Single by Jim Johnston – Download WWE: Money In the Bank (Official Theme Song) – Single on iTunes. Itunes.apple.com (2011-06-20). Retrieved on August 21, 2011.
  22. ^ a b c d Awards at IMDb
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