Johnny Lee Middleton
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| Johnny Lee Middleton | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Johnny Lee Middleton III | |
| Born | May 7, 1963 | |
| Origin | St. Petersburg, FL | |
| Genre(s) | Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Power Metal | |
| Associated acts |
Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra | |
Johnny Lee Middleton III (born May 7, 1963 in St. Petersburg, FL) is best known as the bass guitar player for Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
A life-long St. Petersburg resident, his first musicial instrument was a trumpet, which he played in his high school orchestra. However, this was not his first choice as he originally wanted to play drums, "but about 40 kids wanted to do that" [1]. Johnny then tried the trumpet. Johnny however realised that "you could get more girls by playing bass in stead of trumpet, I changed instrument" [2]. Johnny does try to play other instruments and can also play the saxophone, waldhorn and clarinet. Johnny's main musicial influences as a child were his father's Country & Western music collection, but when he grew older, his elder sister had copies of KISS and Lynyrd Skynyrd LPs. At one time, his sister dated a Black Sabbath fan. Having heard We Sold Our Souls to Rock 'n' Roll, Johnny said "That was it" and rock music became his calling. His first concert was Blue Öyster Cult. He vividly recalls "the drummer with the Godzilla mask. After that first concert, I was hooked. I was like, 'I want to be up there. I want to do that." [3]
[edit] Pre-Savatage
Later, at a different school, Johnny befriended a guitar player, and along with a drummer, the three formed a band called Mariah. After doing the high school scene, the band members went their separate ways. Soon, after being in a couple of failed bar bands, Johnny joined a moderately established Glam rock group called Lefty, and was soon playing seven nights a week. On stage, he used to wear hotpants and make-up and his hair was bleached and backcombed. He first came to Savatage's attention when then Savatage drummer Steve Wacholz saw him play a club. Steve was impressed by Johnny's playing and referred him to Jon Oliva. Jon was not particularly impressed by the look, but, was still impressed by Johnny's energy on stage and his playing ability. After Keith Collins's departure from the band, the band called on Johnny. In the first instance, Johnny turned down Savatage's offer of joining them, because he could make more money playing with Lefty, as all the Savatage members had jobs on the side, saying "Music is my job". But eventually, he decided to join the band anyway. Johnny said of the move "Somehow I was fed up with this bar-band-shit, even though it was a good living, getting through the week with $ 250, even if it meant we had to work each night for it. At the time I was only 20, 21 years old. The guys from my band would have loved to have lynched me, when I stepped out. Four weeks later I could't have cared less. I was in London with Savatage - and had a fuckin' great time!".
[edit] Savatage and TSO
Johnny joined Savatage in time for the release of their 1986 release Fight for the Rock which was an attempt at making Savatage more commercial. The band realised this did not work and then joined up with producer Paul O'Neill for the first time in 1987 for the release of Hall of the Mountain King. Johnny has cited this as being as favourite Savatage record [4]. Gutter Ballet followed in 1989, and Streets: A Rock Opera was released in 1991 and was a taste of success for Savatage. After Jon Oliva's departure from the fore of the band in 1992, and a general turn in the music industry after the explosion of grunge, Savatage went back to foing what they did best with Edge of Thorns in 1993. Johnny described it as "about my favorite record, due to the fact that I like the bass mix in it, and it was the last one me and Criss got to do together (Savatage's guitarist, Criss Oliva, was killed in a car accident in October 1993). Jon had stepped down to pursue his Broadway thing, and it was me and Criss against the world, really. Everything was against us, and we fought back and won." Johnny was devastated by the loss of Criss and did not enter the studio when Handful of Rain was recorded, despite him being creditted with the bass playing for the album. Johnny and Criss were extremely close friends and the loss of Criss inspired Johnny more than anything else.
After the release of Dead Winter Dead in 1995, Johnny was asked to join Trans-Siberian Orchestra, an offer which he accepted and he has played bass on all of their records thus far. Savatage also continued with two further album releases (The Wake of Magellan in 1998 and Poets and Madmen in 2001). Johnny and his ex-wife Michelle were at one point in charge of the Savatage fan-club, Legions.
[edit] Personal life
Outside of Savatage, Johnny enjoys fishing, surfing and cooking. He is a fan of the NHL ice hockey team Tampa Bay Lightning. Johnny also runs a business that installs and modernises air conditioning systems in South Florida with his father. Of the business, Johnny says "When I'm home (about 6 months per year!) I'm in charge and my dad can go golfing!".
[edit] See also
| Savatage |
| Jon Oliva | Damond Jiniya | Chris Caffery | Al Pitrelli | Johnny Lee Middleton | Jeff Plate | Paul O'Neill |
| Criss Oliva | Keith Collins | Steve "Doc" Wacholz | Zak Stevens | Alex Skolnick | Jack Frost |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio Albums: Sirens | Power of the Night | Fight for the Rock | Hall of the Mountain King | Gutter Ballet | Streets: A Rock Opera | Edge of Thorns | Handful of Rain | Dead Winter Dead | The Wake of Magellan | Poets and Madmen |
| Extended Plays: The Dungeons Are Calling | Chance EP | Doesn't Matter Anyway EP |
| Live Albums: Japan Live '94 | Final Bell / Ghost in the Ruins |
| Compilation Albums: From the Gutter to the Stage | The Best and the Rest | Believe |
| Related articles |
| Doctor Butcher | Trans-Siberian Orchestra | Jon Oliva's Pain | Circle II Circle | Seven Witches | Megadeth | Testament | Annihilator |
