Born September 23, 1976, New Orleans, Louisiana
Played with: Coolbone Brass Band, Olympia Brass Band, Lionel Ferbos, Wendell Brunious, Shannon Powell
Ronell Johnson is a musician of a younger generation who is continuing on the great tradition of New Orleans Jazz and Gospel music. Born and raised in New Orleans, Ronell started on the trumpet and piano around the age of 6. He is from a musical family and was taught to play, in the beginning, by his three older brothers who are also professional musicians. Also, he and his brothers are the great-nephews of Joseph "Kid Twat" Butler, who was the string bass player with the legendary Kid Thomas Valentine and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Around the age of 10, Ronell began to teach himself to also play the trombone, tuba, organ, saxophone, drums, and other instruments, which he played at church, in the school bands, and with his family band called the Coolbone Brass Band. Although he had been performing professionally since the age of 12, he deepened his musical education by attending and graduating from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and Southern University at New Orleans (studying music).
Ronell travels the world as an independent artist as well as with many different bands, playing various styles of music (although Traditional New Orleans Jazz is his favorite). He has contributed to the great music of New Orleans by performing with many premier bands such as: the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Palm Court Jazz Band, Olympia Brass Band, Coolbone Brass Band (comprised of his 3 brothers, 2 uncles, and 4 cousins), Lionel Ferbos, Lars Edegran, Tommy Sancton, Michael White, Banu Gibson, Steve Pistorious, Wendell Brunius, Doreen's Jazz, Shannon Powell, Orange Kellin, Clive Wilson, and the Paulin Brothers Band to name a few. Ronell is recognized around the world and in a host of magazines and journals as one of New Orleans' prized musicians who adds a lot of energy, animation, humor, and fire to the band stand.
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