Johnny Gallant :: Official Website

It was the melodies of Simon & Garfunkel that first revealed the musical talents of a teenage Johnny Gallant. Hanging out and listening to the 60’s tunes, Johnny and his brother began to sing harmony lines, loving the way their voices harmonized and blended perfectly. From the moment he started to sing, Johnny has entertained a life long love affair with music, exploring and learning and creating.

Johnny was born in Belgrade, the capital of former Yugoslavia, and was raised in a small village called Aslantas in the highlands of the Anatolian mountains of Turkey. He spent a part of his childhood on the island of Cyprus and later on in a small town on the Adriatic coast. His first encounter with North America was Ontario, Canada, the town of Saint Catherines close to the Niagara Falls. Thanks to engineering parents who travelled often, Johnny was able to experience and explore the many cultures that surrounded him in Europe and Asia. It was this craving for adventure handed down from his parents that lead him on a winding and full musical journey.

His professional music career began in Vancouver, Canada when he fronted a reggae/rock/ska band, performing and writing alongside acclaimed Canadian talents David Marion (Alex Cuba) and Ali Siadat (Mother, Mother). He has also worked with and collaborated with artists such as Jeremy Fisher, Dan Mangan and Chin. Going forward into the jazz world, he has worked together with John Korsrud, Miles Black, Rene Worst, Jennifer Scott, Cory Weeds and many other prominent jazz figures in Vancouver.

Johnny continues to prove his versatility and talent with his latest foray into the crooning world, inspired most especially by Rat Pack legends, Sam Cooke, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, and the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley.

Growing up, Johnny listened to a wide range of artists and musical genres; from the classic rock rhythms of Queen, The Police, and Zeppelin, to the slick sounds of world jazz artists like Bill Evens, Django Reinhardt and Toots Thielemans, to the more eclectic world musicians such as Strunz and Farah, Zakir Hussain and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. But, his earliest musical memories were the sweet sounds of ol’ blue eyes, Frank Sinatra. He remembers hearing the voice for the first time on the island of Cyprus when he was very young.

During his teenage years, Johnny would often go and listen to a local opera singer in Belgrade. This inspired him so much that he began to explore and learn music in earnest, studying guitar and voice and then teaching himself to play piano. At university, Johnny discovered the rhythms of world music, fado, blue grass, and reggae. He also studied jazz, flamenco, music theory, acting and creative writing.

It was only after university, that he began to write his own music. It happened during a casual jam session with an eclectic group of musicians, including an Indian tabla player and a reggae singer. As Johnny played riffs on the guitar, the singer “picked-up” his tune and started adding words to it. That’s when the thought hit him: “I can do this!”

Johnny continues to be inspired by great musicians, whether they are a popular 1960’s duo, an opera singer from Belgrade or an Indian tabla player. Ask what makes him pursue music and why he loves to perform, and you will get one sincere answer:

“In the same way that I am moved or inspired when I see many great musicians, I want to be able to give back; to inspire, have them forget about their everyday lives; and to move them, emotionally.”