Derek Johnson

Derek started his career right out of high school playing gospel music with the Goads who were originally from Piqua. He spent the next 15 years traveling the world with them which opened up tons of "side" gigs with entertainment people from all facets of music. Everyone from Amy Grant to Pat Boone to Alan Thicke (TV star) to Tammy Faye Baker. Derek started out as a guitar player and still does a substantial amount of session work as both a guitar player and bass player, but he realized right away there was more work as a bass player so he kept his chops up. When he got into the country side of things, he was hired as the bass player for a Dayton, Ohio band called Grady Lewis and this band had himself and Joe Caverlee who was later to be known as the fiddle guy for Yankee Grey during their heyday. He was a charter member of Uncle Daddy and the Family Secret and they were voted the best Electric Folk rock band in the Cincy area for 2-3 years in a row.