ABOUT SHOW HOST MICHAEL JONZUN

Michael Jonzun (a/k/a Michael Johnson & M. Johnson), son of Ray V. Johnson, Sr., started playing music at the age of two with his paper drum set.  At the age of four he joined his family’s band, then known as The Johnson Brothers - - Elvin, Ray, Jr., Calvin, Donald (p/k/a Sonni Jonzun), and Larry (p/k/a Maurice Starr). Michael’s father, a master musician of many instruments, who performed with such legendary Artists as Ray Charles, Noble “Thin Man” Watts, and B.B. King, was the Johnson Brother’s Mentor and Musical Director..

In spite of the fact that his family didn’t have money, they didn’t have an impressive home (the eight of them lived in a modest two bedroom house), and they didn’t have the odds stacked in their favor (being a Black family in a racially segregated and volatile southern community), they did have a recipe for success.

The Johnson Brothers’ winning formula was possessing a passionate love for music. Passion meant practicing 7 hours or more, most every day of the week, and using whatever monies they had earned from odd jobs & gigs to buy instruments and musical equipment.  Passion meant working towards becoming “great” musicians, not just “good”. Passion meant having a willingness to “starve” while pursuing their dream.  Passion meant having a fear of God, obedience to their parents, and honesty. Passion meant  keeping a firm belief that they were pre-destined to make it as musicians, and could make it as musicians..

In 1973, in pursuit of achieving musical notoriety, at the age of 18, Michael and his brothers packed up and headed to Boston, Massachusetts on a Greyhound bus.  They took with them a bag of their Mama’s own delicious southern fried chicken, a few dollars, a large repertoire of music under their belt  - - spanning many musical genres from country & western, and Dixieland, to rock & roll, rhythm & blues, jazz, gospel, and classical --, and a mastery of over 50 different types of musical instruments. 

Persistence and preparation paid off.  Today, Mr. Jonzun’s talents have earned him international acclaim as a Multi-Platinum Record Producer, Songwriter, Artist (Jonzun Crew- - recognized as a forefather of Hip Hop by Source Mag.), Record Label owner (Jonzun Entertainment distributed by Lightyear Ent. via WEA), Music Business Executive, and Multi-Instrumentalist.  Some of Mr. Jonzun’s accolades include:

►200+ million records and videos sold world wide

► [(13) # 1 Billboard Chart Hits,

► (19) “Top 10” Billboard Chart Hits

► (32) “Top 40” Billboard Chart Hits

►Owner & CEO of Boston International Music, Inc.,
(A music publishing firm w/ 200+Compositions in Rotation world wide at radio, film, internet, printed sheet music, records, videos, and television.)

►(2) Major Publishing Deals (EMI & Warner-Chappell)

►500+ Certified Gold, Platinum, & Multi-Platinum Records Combined in Different Territories Worldwide.

►Co-Writer of Largest Selling Ringtone in History- - “Laffy Taffy” ("Laffy Taffy" # 1 Billboard Chart Hit-Jan. 7, ’06)

►Co-Music Producer of Top 3 Music Videos in History: (“Hangin’ Tough”, “Hangin’ Tough Live”, “Step By Step”)

►Jonzun Crew is a Recognized Forefather of Hip-Hop (Source Mag.) 

►Jonzun Crew has toured worldwide playing to audiences of 80,000+

►Jonzun Crew as an Artist has sold 20+ million records sold world wide in its many formats (Some of their Greatest Hits include: Pack Jam, Space Cowboy, We Are The Jonzun Crew, Electro Boogie Encounter, Space Is The Place, to name a few)

►Jonzun Crew's music is performed in two of the largest video games --
"Grand Theft Auto -San Rio" & "Scarface (The World Is Yours)" 

►Jonzun's Compositions and Productions appear in hundreds of television shows and major motion pictures (including Love & Basketball, Dogma, Two Moon Junction, Black Mask, Shag The Movie, Sure Thing, Moonlighting, MTV, BET, and VH1 to name a few.) 

►Numerous Industry Awards (shared Grammys, ASCAP, American Music, Jack The Rapper, JUNO, People's Choice)

►Michael "Space Cowboy" Jonzun awarded by ASCAP in April 2007 Co-Writer/Publisher Award for "One of The Most Performed Songs of the Year 2006" ("Laffy Taffy"/D4L)

►Producer & Co-Writer of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Recognized "ESSENTIAL RECORDING"  for Showdown as performed by Class of 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five

►Write-Ups in Major Metropolitan & Intl Publications  as a Music Pioneer & Innovator: (NY Times, LA Times, Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, People, Vibe, Source, Jet, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Billboard, Village Voice, Mix, Boston Herald, NME, among others.)

►Lecturer (Colleges, Universities, Schools, Music Conferences - - New Music Seminar)

►Radio Talk Show Host of Audition Radio, that has interviewed hundreds of Celebrity Artists.

►Author of Music Industry books.

►Mentor to the Nation's youngest terrestrial Radio Talk Show Host, Shali "Space Boy" Jonzun

►Multi-Instrumentalist of 50+ musical instruments

►Producer/Writer/Musician with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Legends

Mick Jaggar, Ben E. King, Lavern Baker, Bernie Worrell (featuring Herbie Hancock, Keith Richards, Mudbone Cooper, & Bootsy Collins of George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic), Solomon Burke, Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, Bennie Cowan of Parliament Funkadelic, Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five.

►Producer/Writer of over 50 Super Star Artists, including - - 

Madonna, Peter Wolf, New Kids On The Block, George Sampson of Britain's Got Talent, New Edition, Aztec Camera, Tommy Page, Mase, Puff Daddy & Family, Sugar Hill Gang, Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five, D4L, LL Cool J, Trina, Trick Daddy, Adrian Belew of King Crimson, Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen’s E. Street Band, Kelly Price, Maurice "The General" Starr, 112, The Jets, Saffire, Apollonia, Carl Thomas, Ginuwine, Twista, Afrika Bambaata, Another Bad Creation, Perfect Gentlemen, Lil’ Bow Wow w/ Jermaine Dupri, Bootsauce, Englebert Humperdink, Ice T., Chuck D., Elliot Easton & Greg Hawks of The Cars, GE Smith, Will Lee, Dallas Austin, Mark Wahlberg, Livingston Taylor, Brad Delp of Boston, Young Saints, Stylistics, Dramatics, and El Debarge, among numerous others.