Fred Johnson

An acclaimed jazz musician and performer, Fred is a graduate of the National Academy of the Performing Arts as well as the Master Performers School of the National Mime Theater. He has recorded and toured worldwide with jazz legends Chick Corea, Richard Elliot, George Benson, David Sanborn, B. B. King, Ramsey Lewis, Patti LaBelle, Herbie Mann, and the great Miles Davis. Currently the Director of Education and Outreach at The Center for Creative Resources in New York, Fred was for many years affiliated with the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Florida where he served as both Vice President of Education and Humanities and Artist-in-Residence. During that time he produced the Center's American Music Festival and the Art & Spirituality Festival. He is recognized globally for his work in the health and wellness community and was instrumental is establishing the inspiring “HeArts & Hope” program at the University of Florida Medical Center. His presentations on the healing power of music have caught the attention of internationally recognized holistic health practitioners. Mentored by masters of the African oral and percussion legacy, Fred has been hailed as one of the true guardians of an oral tradition transplanted and nurtured to create a fusion of cultural heritage that is uniquely American and inherently African.