Robert White Johnson (born c.1952)[1] is an American songwriter and musician, based on Nashville, best known for co-writing "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", which was a major hit for Celine Dion.[2]

History

Robert White Johnson is a native of Moline, Illinois, where he commenced his career as a professional musician, playing drums. He originally went to Nashville at the behest of Dottie West, who was interested in developing Johnson's pop music career. He later became a staff writer for Tree Publishing.[2]

While continuing as a staff writer with Tree Publishing, in 1981 Johnson co-founded, with bass and keyboard player Jimmie Lee Sloas the rock band RPM, where Johnson was the lead singer.[3] The band released two albums and had a modest AOR hit single, "A Legend Never Dies". The group's albums were produced by Brent Maher and Gary Langan, respectively.[4] After the band folded, Johnson concentrated on his staff songwriting position, before becoming an independent songwriter and producer as of the mid-1990s. He has contributed songs, production or both to such bands as the Beach Boys,[5] Peter Wolf,[6] B.J. Thomas,[7] Lynyrd Skynyrd,[8] 38 Special,[9] Van Zant[10] and Celine Dion. He is also a songwriter and producer of popular Christian music.[2] In 1996, he won a Dove Award as producer of the Inspirational Album of The Year, Unbelievable Love, by Larnelle Harris.[2] Johnson is also a successful writer and performer of jingles.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Robert White Johnson". Quad-City Times. 12 August 1997. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Rick Moore, Nashville Songwriter Series: Robert White Johnson. American Songwriter, January 3, 2011. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  3. ^ Uncredited, Review of RPM CD reissue, 2004; Rock Report. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  4. ^ Uncredited, Profile of RPM; robertwhitejohnson.com. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  5. ^ "It's Gettin' Late" (1985), co-written with Carl Wilson and Myrna Smith Schilling.
  6. ^ Co-writing and co-producing, with Taylor Rhodes and Peter Wolf, Wolf's 1990 album Up To No Good.
  7. ^ Christmas is Coming Home (1997)
  8. ^ Co-writer of several of the songs on The Last Rebel (1993).
  9. ^ Co-writer, "Chattahoochie", on Rock & Roll Strategy (1988). AllMusic, Particulars of Rock & Roll Strategy. Retrieved 2016-05-11. Others credit him with contributing to several other of the album's songs.
  10. ^ Producing a co-writing songs on Brother to Brother (1998) and Van Zant II (2001).

External links

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