Biography

Before independently releasing his debut album Cannonball in summer of 2022, Sam Johnston’s musical creation started at the intersection of blues and rock. One of the signatures in discovering his sound has been layering his soulful vocals with tasteful amounts of distortion, at times generating a classic gospel sound one hears in tracks such as “Devil’s Calling My Name” and “Spirits and Jesus”. His dynamic voice, blistering guitar playing, and introspective lyricism made him a force to be reckoned with early on in his young career. In the making of Cannonball, one of his main goals was to embrace the quality of vintage song while using modern production techniques to marry “old” and “new” sound. Influences surround Johnston on all sides: the styles of Alabama Shakes, The War On Drugs, Tame Impala, The Black Keys, and Dawes all sonically bleed through into his artistry. A Dallas native now making his imprint in Nashville, Sam is not afraid of being different. He uses his ever-sharpening production skills to bend genre and continue to transcend into the artist he’s simultaneously becoming. With producer Drew Long (Judah & The Lion, Betcha, Kris Allen) by his side in the studio, Sam is currently writing for his next project while he tours Cannonball in regional markets across the US.