Johnny is one of America's premier drummers, having worked in every

conceivable environment – including a Hollywood movie set. See, Johnny

played Ed Vallencourt, drummer for the fictional (yet very real) band

Stillwater in Cameron Crowe's hit film “Almost Famous.” Along with

working with Crowe and his wife, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, to get the

tunes just right, he was given one of the most anticipated (and

humorous) lines in the film.

Johnny has been a drummer since he was a kid. “It all started with my

grandma giving me a toy snare drum for Christmas,” says Johnny. “I’d

set up the cushions and pillows from the couch to replicate a drum

kit, then emulate my drumming heroes like Ringo, Peter Criss, Clem

Burke, Stan Lynch, Bonham …”

After confirming that his son’s desire to be a drummer was sincere,

Johnny’s father purchased a beautiful set of Rogers drums, which

Johnny still has today.

Gigging in a church, watching MTV, jamming with friends (and yes,

taking lessons) all played a part in his development. A stop at

Berklee College of Music for a few years after high school trimmed the

fat from his playing style and set him on a path to becoming a career

musician.

Johnny has since performed and recorded with L.A.-based Mercury

Records UK band Orson as well as Vegas bands Automatic Taxi Star,

Drawing Boxes, Vinyl Clouds, The Szuters (magni-fi), and Industry.

He currently performs with Franky Perez (solo artist and “Scars on

Broadway” member), and he’s part of the Michael Cavanaugh Band

(Broadway's “Movin' Out” star). With Michael's band, Johnny has been

performing with symphony orchestras around the country, rocking out

the music of Billy Joel and Elton John. One notable tour highlight was

a performance with the Boston Pops.

When not touring, Johnny performs with Vegas cover acts Boogie

Knights, Rock Star Karaoke, Metal Shop and The Spazmatics. His

recording credits include heavy metal act Nitro, Mr. Big/guitar

virtuoso Paul Gilbert (Flying Dog, Raw Blues Power) and the Szuters

(self-titled and American Pop on JVC Victor). His film credits as an

actor include the aforementioned “Almost Famous,” the Tom Cruise drama

“Vanilla Sky” and Steve Martin’s “Shopgirl.”