From an early age Johnson demonstrated a facility with the piano. Encouraged by his parents, along with singing in his church's choir, he began taking lessons in classical piano from his choir director. After many years of being under the tutelage of teachers and family influences, Johnson began using his ability to play by ear to pick out his favorite tunes from the radio. He was inspired by such songs as "The In Crowd" by Ramsey Lewis, "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited, and "Tighten Up" by Archie Bell and the Drells to focus on R&B rather than classical music. Johnson formed his own band, performing the R&B songs that were climbing the charts at that time.\r \r