Eldon Johnson & True North

Artist Information

Biography

Eldon Johnson Biography 2011

Eldon Johnson was born and raised in the small town of Williston, in the northwest corner of North Dakota. He began his musical endeavors at the age of 5, and writing songs in his teens. In addition to this, since grade school he has been a first-chair drummer and percussionist--winning multiple all-state awards and honors along the way. He continued his musical endeavors while attending college at the University of North Dakota, where he obtained his Masters degree in Physical Therapy in 1995, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Since then, Eldon has replaced the drums with guitar as his primary instrument, and he has continued playing music throughout the upper Midwest--as well as multiple trips to Nashville and Austin, garnering a tremendous following of loyal and devoted fans. He formed the band, True North, with Jim Ed Hodges, which obtained immediate success and notoriety. Eldon and True North released their debut CD, "Down The Road," in April, 2006. Being a multi-faceted artist, Eldon's wide-ranging contributions to the album include lead and harmony vocals, acoustic guitar, and all of the drums and percussion—as well as self-producing the album and writing 12 of the 14 songs. His sophomore album, "The Other Side," was released in June, 2009, and is already generating significant buzz in the industry.

Eldon entered the Colgate Country Showdown as a solo artist in 2007, winning the ND State Finals, and also the Midwest Regional--advancing him to the 2008 National Finals at the world-famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN on January 24, 2008, which was hosted by LeAnn Rimes. He placed SECOND in the finals, out of over 50,000 across the nation that entered the contest, and competed for $100,000 on the grandest of stages. Eldon also recently auditioned for the blockbuster USA/NBC network program, "Nashville Star," and advanced to the National Finals for this, as well. All of this success and notoriety has certainly legitimized Eldon's place among the elite "up-and-comers" in the country music industry.

Currently residing in Fargo, ND, Johnson continues to hone his skills as a singer/songwriter and performer, and also works as a contemporary music coordinator at a congregation at home. Eldon's local, regional, and national popularity and loyal fan base continue to grow with each well-crafted show. His style has been described as a cross between the driving country-rock of Keith Urban, the infectious grooves of Dave Matthews, and the smooth rhythms of Jack Johnson. His intricate and carefully-crafted lyrics blend seamlessly with the warm, smooth texture of his voice. Eldon's soulful songwriting and captivating performances are rich with universally-relevant themes, pulling the listener in and not letting go until the last note has been sung.

Instrumentation

Eldon Johnson: Guitar, lead vocal
Craig Fluto: Bass, vocals
Steve Winfrey: Drums

Discography

Down The Road (2006)
Stay (on Authentic Voice, Volume 2, 2008)
Down The Road (on Goin' Back Home, Volume 4, 2009)
Tennessee Star (on Rasmussen Rocks! Volume 3, 2009)
The Other Side (2009)

Links

• Twitter
• Facebook
• The Official Website for Eldon Johnson
• MySpace

Audio

• Tennessee Star
  Listen  
• The Other Side
  Listen  
• Ride
  Listen  
• Come Back To Me
  Listen  
• Home
  Listen  
• Gonna Pull Up My Roots
  Listen  
• Notcher Man
  Listen  
• 6-Foot Blues
  Listen  
• Tightrope
  Listen  
• Back Side Of The Storm
  Listen  
• Stay
  Listen  
• Down The Road
  Listen  
• Somewhere Down The Line
  Listen  
• Tricycles and Tonka Trucks
  Listen  
• Two Kids
  Listen  
• You'll See
  Listen  
• Your Used To Be
  Listen  
• Time After Time
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Tennessee Star
• The Other Side
• Ride
• Come Back To Me
• Home
• Gonna Pull Up My Roots
• Notcher Man
• 6-Foot Blues
• Tightrope
• Back Side Of The Storm
• Stay
• Down The Road
• Somewhere Down The Line
• Tricycles and Tonka Trucks
• Two Kids
• You'll See
• Your Used To Be

Video

Eldon's winning performance at the Colgate Country Showdown Midwest Regional, which advanced him to the National Finals at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on January 24, 2008. Video was taken with digital camera video player.

Photo Gallery

Press

• True North Is An American Original [+ Show ]
  

  TRUE NORTH Is An American Original Written by Mike Parker Wednesday, 13 December 20...TRUE NORTH Is An American Original
  
  Written by Mike Parker
  Wednesday, 13 December 2006
  
  There are really only two completely American musical genres – jazz and bluegrass. Fargo, North Dakota-based trio, True North, is an American original. And just so there is no confusion, they don’t play jazz.
  
  True North plays bluegrass, tinged with the blues, sprinkled with Americana, infused by Gospel, and nestled up comfortably next to country-folk with an occasional nod to high lonesome. This is a guitar strumming, banjo picking, fiddle sawing, upright bass slapping concoction that will have you foot-tapping and knee slapping if you’ve got a drop of frontier blood in you.
  
  Down The Road, the trio’s debut project is a fourteen-song collection of American family values set to music. The title track, which opens the album, is a dichotomously cheerful tune about the loss of friends, through the natural progression of life and the inevitability of death. Rather than focusing on the sadness that is inherent in such loss, the True North boys chose to cast their eyes on the glad reunion that looms over the horizon for true friends. “It hurts to say goodbye, but through the Lord I know/ That I’ll see you down the road.”
  
  “Tricycles and Tonka Trucks” lets the bluegrass banjo take center stage while lead vocalist Eldon Johnson mourns the loss of the innocence that was part and parcel of life as a boy. The theme carries on, though with a slightly different twist in “I’ll Go On (Sarah’s Song),” where young love finds its fulfillment in a lifetime of commitment.
  
  Somewhere between Nickel Creek and the Crabb Family, True North is assessable enough to appeal to mainstream middle America without selling out their bluegrass roots. Down the Road is a delightful break from the tedium of the ordinary.
  
  

• Excellent start to finish! [+ Show ]
  

  I normally am not a bluegrass/country music-type person…matter of fact, you’ll find I have no preset...I normally am not a bluegrass/country music-type person…matter of fact, you’ll find I have no presets in my car with country-type stations—rock and top 40 only. But after listening to this album, I may need to reconsider…
  
  I have never found an album by a non-mainstream group to be as extraordinary as this one is start-to-finish. Even more impressive is that I think this may be their very first album. The album contains a great variety of songs—songs that are not at all predictable (like you seem to be finding with more mainstream artists these days) but yet all GREAT to listen to (unlike most new bands that have a “one-hit wonder” and the rest you find yourself asking why the rest of the album is not even worth your time to preview). It contains songs that exude true emotion, yet leaves you with a refreshed and upbeat feeling inside…Oh, and the best part—this group has TRUE talent, there is no voice alteration, no artificial sound, and the members blend both their instruments and their voices with perfect harmonies that are full and moving in sound. They are by far just as good, if not better, than anything you’ll listen to on the radio today—start to finish.
  
  This album is a refreshing change of pace from the ordinary and WELL worth buying the whole CD for—give it one listen start to finish and you’ll be hooked!
  

• Well done! [+ Show ]
  

  Eldon knows the structure, the importance of melodic hooks. He has an emerging vocabulary that's al...Eldon knows the structure, the importance of melodic hooks. He has an emerging vocabulary that's all his own. There is an emotional quality to the topics, the presentation of these songs that's genuine. Songs are heartfelt and share universal topics that appeal to a blend of country/pop genres.

• One word.....Amazing [+ Show ]
  

  Down the Road is now sincerely one of my favorite CD's. Each word adds to the richness and message ...Down the Road is now sincerely one of my favorite CD's. Each word adds to the richness and message within each song. It is pure and real and simple. It touches memories and triggers emotions on many levels. One moment you're laughing, then crying and then taking on the world and all that is before you and within you.
  

• Great job! [+ Show ]
  

  Well thought-out lyric, arrangement, personal and sincere vocal delivery. Warm timbre and phrasing ...Well thought-out lyric, arrangement, personal and sincere vocal delivery. Warm timbre and phrasing work well with the imagery (of the album)...Dramatic and idealistic. Excellent vocals...radio ready. No doubt you're local heroes in Fargo.

• :) [+ Show ]
  

  I just got my copy of "Down The Road." LOVE it. Thanks for creating a sound and lyrics that take m...I just got my copy of "Down The Road." LOVE it. Thanks for creating a sound and lyrics that take me back home and spark a lovely, familiar peace in my soul. Also helps Seattle and ND not seem so far apart.

• Awesome! [+ Show ]
  

  Wow...I am going to wear out the CD because I listen to it sooooo much. It is awesome! I love Down...Wow...I am going to wear out the CD because I listen to it sooooo much. It is awesome! I love Down the Road, Home, God and Everybody, You'll See, Let it Go.....I love it all I guess!

Setlist

Eldon Johnson and True North play a very wide-ranging set list, playing anything from old to new country and rock/pop cover tunes, with some of his outstanding original material sprinkled in, as well. Eldon is very skilled at putting together appropriate set lists for specific venues, and also at modifying the set list "on the fly" if the clientele seems to be digging (or not digging) a certain genre/style on a given night.

Eldon is also one of the most accomplished solo performers in the region, and plays many shows in this manner every year. In solo acoustic shows, Eldon typically plays 2, 3, or 4 50-60 minute sets--depending upon the contract and needs of the venue. Set lists consist of original material, as well as cover tunes from the country, rock, acoustic, pop, bluegrass/newgrass, folk, and americana genres. He plays a very eclectic set list, thereby ensuring that everyone in the audience hears something that resonates within him/her. These are carefully selected and are ALWAYS crowd favorites!

Eldon also often plays shows as a duo with Mike Christl, who plays various percussion instruments, as well as harmonica.

Eldon plays a wide variety of genres, with cover songs from such artists as Shawn Mullins, Jack Johnson, Keith Urban, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, George Strait, Nickel Creek, Joe Nichols, Brad Paisley, The Black Crowes, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Cougar Mellencamp, Merle Haggard, Howie Day, Alison Kraus and Union Station, Van Morrison, Johnny Cash, Sawyer Brown, The Eagles, The Steeldrivers, Tom Petty, James Taylor, The Beatles, Travis Tritt, Don Williams, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, The Georgia Satellites, The Barenaked Ladies, Josh Kelley, Hal Ketchum, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, etc. A recurring compliment from "non-country-loving" fans is that they like "country" music when he is playing it, as Eldon uses his own unique style to bring out additional nuances and flair to the songs.

Here is a partial list of common cover songs that can be heard in full band or solo acoustic shows:

Lover, Lover (Jerrod Niemann)
Feel That Fire (Dierks Bentley)
Every Mile a Memory (Dierks Bentley)
Alright (Darius Rucker)
Love Don't Live Here (Lady Antebellum)
Troubadour (George Strait)
One Week (Barenaked Ladies)
You'll Think Of Me (Keith Urban)
Stupid Boy (Keith Urban)
Making Memories Of Us (Keith Urban)
Flake (Jack Johnson)
Upside Down (Jack Johnson)
My Stupid Mouth (John Mayer)
Faith (George Michael)
Lullaby (Shawn Mullins)
Blackbird (The Beatles)
Wind It Up (Barenaked Ladies)
Jack and Diane (John Cougar Mellencamp)
Pink Houses (John Cougar Mellencamp)
All I Ask For Anymore (Trace Adkins)
It's a Great Day To Be Alive (Travis Tritt)
Why Georgia? (John Mayer)
Tomorrow is a Long Time (Bob Dylan/Nickel Creek)
The Dance (Garth Brooks)
Good People (Jack Johnson)
Free Fallin' (Tom Petty)
If It Hadn't Been For Love (The Steeldrivers)
Whiskey Lullaby (Brad Paisley / Alison Kraus)
Fire and Rain (James Taylor)
Blue As You (Shawn Mullins)
Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain (Willie Nelson)
This Side (Nickel Creek)
Sing Me Back Home (Merle Haggard)
When You Say Nothing At All (Alison Kraus & Union Station)
She Talks to Angels (The Black Crowes)
Your Body Is a Wonderland (John Mayer)
Grey Street (Dave Matthews Band)
Lie in Our Graves (Dave Matthews Band)
Say (John Mayer)
Try Not To Look So Pretty (Dwight Yoakam)
If I Had $1,000,000 (Barenaked Ladies)
The Broken Road (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash)
Collide (Howie Day)
Amazing (Josh Kelley)
All These Years (Sawyer Brown)
Life Don't Have To Mean Nothin' At All (Tom T. Hall / Joe Nichols)
Jeans On (Keith Urban)
To Make You Feel My Love (Garth Brooks)
The River (Garth Brooks)
On the Road Again (Willie Nelson)
T-R-O-U-B-L-E (Travis Tritt)
Silver Wings (Merle Haggard)
Beautiful Wreck (Shawn Mullins)
Small Town Saturday Night (Hal Ketchum)
I Walk The Line (Johnny Cash)
Diggin' Up Bones (Randy Travis)
On The Other Hand (Randy Travis)
Satellite (Dave Matthews Band)
So Much To Say (Dave Matthews Band)
The Fox (Nickel Creek)
Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan)
Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (Crash Test Dummies)
Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett)
Peaceful Easy Feeling (The Eagles)
You Mean Everything To Me (Shawn Mullins)
Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)
The Walk (Sawyer Brown)
Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash)
Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison)
Keep Your Hands To Yourself (Georgia Satellites)
Gone Country (Alan Jackson)
Livin' On Love (Alan Jackson)
Show Me the River (eastmountainsouth)
Lonesome Roads (Dwight Yoakam)
Fast As You (Dwight Yoakam)

Basic Requirements

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