Originally from Woodbridge, Virginia, Johnny Richeson moved to Pawleys Island, South Carolina in 2005. He began teaching himself to play the drums a year later. In his early teens, his parents were taking him to local venues to watch other musicians and sit in with their bands, helping him develop his musical intuition. He was working as a musician at age 14, and by 18 he was playing full-time in the Myrtle Beach area.
Johnny started his formal musical training in college, and has studied with several world-class teachers and players, including: Derrek Phillips (Hank Williams, Jr., Robben Ford, Gloria Gaynor), Matt White (Rihanna, Bob Mintzer, Jeff Coffin), Jesse Willis (Coastal Carolina University), and Lalo Davila (Middle Tennesee State University). After finishing college, he moved to Nashville, TN, where he enjoyed a successful freelance career. His career has given him a diverse musical sensibility in styles including rock, funk, salsa, soca/calypso, reggae, ska, R&B, jazz, and classical. He has performed with artists such as: Jason Scheff (Chicago), The Dryes (The Voice Season 22), Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones), Crissy Collins (Beyoncé), Howard Levy (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones), Jake Botts (Kelly Clarkson, Lauren Daigle, Cory Wong), Jackson Bruck and the Dukes of Hume (Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem winner 2018), and more.
In addition to performing, he is passionate about sharing his love for music with others through teaching. He served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Middle Tennessee State University, where he taught the Band of Blue drumline, salsa band, percussion ensemble, and percussion lessons. In June 2018, Johnny traveled to Colombia, South America to play and teach at jazz camps around the country for the Colombo Americano organization. Upon his return, he continued his 6-year tenure as a freelance musician in Nashville, TN. He is also an active clinician on topics including Brazilian percussion, Afro-Cuban percussion, drum set, and classical percussion.
Johnny holds a B.A. in Music Performance from Coastal Carolina University and a M.M. in Jazz Studies from Middle Tennessee State University. He currently lives near Philadelphia, PA, where he is an Adjunct Professor at Rider University and enjoys a career as a freelance musician.