Greg Johnson (born 7 January 1968) is a New Zealand singer songwriter.
| Greg Johnson | |
| Birth Date: | 7 January 1968 |
| Birth Place: | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genre: | Alternative |
| Years Active: | 1987-present |
Johnson was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He joined the early New Wave scene at age 15, playing in bands at live venues in New Zealand, including Mainstreet Cabaret, the Reverb Room, The Windsor Castle and The Esplanade Hotel.[1]
In 1987, he signed with Trevor Reekie, who owned indie label Pagan Records, releasing an EP under the name This Boy Rob before starting The Greg Johnson Set with Nigel Russell of The Spelling Mistakes, Danse Macabre and The Car Crash Set. The band recorded an album The Watertable in 1989 followed by Everyday Distortions in 1991. The single "Isabelle," produced by Mark Tierney, reached number 4 on the New Zealand charts.[2]
In 1995, he signed with EMI Records. He released Vine Street Stories, which was produced and recorded at his Auckland home, followed by Chinese Whispers and Seabreeze Motel. That year, Johnson won New Zealand's Top Male Vocalist at New Zealand Music Awards.[3]
In 1997, Johnson won the APRA Silver Scroll, New Zealand's most prestigious songwriting award, for "Liberty" from the album Chinese Whispers.
Johnson moved to Los Angeles in 2002 after signing a contract with Immergent Records. In 2002, he won NZ Tui Best Compilation Album 2003 for The Best Yet. Johnson released the albums Here Comes The Caviar in 2004 and Anyone Can Say Goodbye in 2006, followed by Seven Day Cure, Secret Weapon, Exits, and Swing The Lantern.
In 2005, Johnson performed a collection of his songs with The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at Auckland's Aotea Concert Hall. In 2005, his song "Save Yourself" from the album Here Comes The Caviar broke on over 50 US Adult Alternative Radio stations. While touring in the US, Johnson and his band performed a sell-out show at Boston's Paradise Lounge in August 2006.
Songs by Johnson have been placed in TV shows: The Hills,[4] Party of Five, Beautiful People, High School Reunion, Road Rules, Castle, The Brokenwood Mysteries, and 800 Words. Film score and placements include Fifty Pills and Last Chance Harvey. In 2018 Johnson scored a documentary on New Zealand wine, A Seat At The Table, which won 2019 Best Of The Fest at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
He continues to tour frequently in New Zealand, Australia, the US, and Europe. In 2018-19, he toured with his Every Song has A Story show, which features visuals and stories behind the songs and albums. In March 2024, Johnson toured in New Zealand.
In 2020 he produced a compilation of his songs and albums to date, The Digital Box. This coincided with the release of his 2021 album, Tilt Your Interior.[5] His 13th studio album, Thunder In Fall, was scheduled to be released via streaming services in February 2024.
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| As the Greg Johnson Set | |||
| 1991 | The Watertable | — | |
| 1993 | Everyday Distortions | 25 | |
| 1995 | Vine Street Stories | 8 | |
| As Greg Johnson | |||
| 1997 | Chinese Whispers | 16 | |
| 2000 | Sea Breeze Motel | 10 | |
| 2003 | The Lost EP | — | |
| 2004 | Here Comes the Caviar | 20 | |
| 2006 | Anyone Can Say Goodbye | 17 | |
| 2008 | Seven Day Cure | 20 | |
| 2010 | Secret Weapon | 15 | |
| 2012 | Exits | 21 | |
| 2015 | Swing the Lantern | — | |
| 2021 | Tilt Your Interior | 25 [6] | |
| 2024 | Thunder in Fall | 25 [7] | |
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 2001 | The Best Yet | - | |
| 2006 | Greatest Hits | 24 | |
| 2007 | Me and Joanna
| - | |
| 2007 | Trouble-Shooters Manual
| - | |
| 2020 | The Digital Box |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ[8] | ||||
| As the Greg Johnson Set | ||||
| 1991 | "Two Feet off the Ground" | 47 | Everyday Distortions | |
| 1992 | "Isabelle" | 4 | ||
| "Talk In This Town" | 22 | |||
| 1993 | "Baby" | — | ||
| "Winter Song" | 44 | Non-album single | ||
| "Sun Beat Down" | — | Vine Street Stories | ||
| 1994 | "Come On" | — | ||
| 1995 | "You Stay Out Of Your Life" | — | ||
| "Don't Wait Another Day" | 34 | |||
| As Greg Johnson | ||||
| 1995 | "If I Swagger" | — | Vine Street Stories | |
| 1996 | "Softly On Me" | — | Non-album single | |
| 1997 | "Liberty" | — | Chinese Whispers | |
| "My Ship Is Sitting Low" | — | |||
| 1999 | "Hibiscus Song" | — | Sea Breeze Motel | |
| "Beautiful Storm" | 26 | |||
| 2000 | "Cut To The Chase" | — | ||
| 2003 | "Save Yourself" | 24 USA 44 | Here Comes The Caviar | |
| 2004 | "Kiss Me" | — | ||
| 2005 | "It's Been So Long" | — | ||
| "Don't Be The One" | — | |||
| 2006 | "Now The Sun Is Out" | 28 | Anyone Can Say Goodbye | |
| 2009 | "I Got Opinions" | — | Seven Day Cure | |
Since 2002, Johnson has been a US resident, living in California.[9]