KEITH JOHNSON

Keith Johnson is a senior Delta Music Institute audio engineering major at Delta State University and is taking the blues world by storm as the Prince of the Blues.

A native of Glen Allan, Miss., Johnson has two brothers and three sisters. In his immediate family, there are no musicians, but there are others in his family that are musically inclined. “My family came from a long line of musicians,” he said. “..from Muddy Waters and his kids to their kids.”

Johnson is a young man of many talents. He has been playing the guitar for six years, but he has experience with the keyboard and harmonica.

His musical foundation came from listening to others play in church.

“I started playing Gospel music then I branched out to playing the blues,” he said.

Back in 2009, Johnson sang with the Delta Sensations, a gospel group, and he’s been performing gospel music every since, but now he’s more focused on the blues.

“I’ve been playing the blues since I got to Delta State, since 2012,” he said.

Johnson is no stranger to performing in front of a diverse and a wide range audience. He attended Mississippi Night in 2015, and he loved the experience.

He mentioned that Mississippi supporters filled the crowd. Johnson performs with many different musical groups and artists: Soul Parliament, J.R. Blue, DMI All-Stars, his church, and even as a solo act.

For his song “Outstanding Love,” Johnson received an award for Best Upcoming Artist.

“I felt honored, and it gave me hope for the future,” he said. “I’ll be putting out a record pretty soon.” He mentioned that his listeners should expect it during this upcoming summer.

Johnson plays for RUF, while being a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, and a member of the African American Student Council. In his spare time, he just likes to play his guitar.

Johnson’s greatest accomplishment thus far has been building his image and his brand. “It’s a lot of hardwork in marketing yourself, your skills, your talent,” he said. “It’s a hard job to do that so once you get into a position where people actually recognize you and what you do, that’s achieving.”