Calvin Johnson & Native Son

Calvin Johnson is a saxophonist, composer and bandleader born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He could not escape being a musician as he is a 3rd generation NOLA musician. Johnson was able to nurture and expand his love and interest in the music business at the famed performing arts high school the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). While having always maintained a full-time music career Johnson received his B.S. in Business from the University of New Orleans. Calvin stayed involved with the community through a number of organizations such as the Preservation Hall Foundation, where he served as a clinician and led youth music workshops throughout the New Orleans Metro Area. He was an avid supporter of music in the City of New Orleans and the youth within his city through a partnership with the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and the New Orleans Public School System where he served as a musician mentor to aspiring music students. Johnson also had the pleasure of giving back to the community and the continuum of jazz by serving as a faculty member of the prestigious Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp.
On stage Johnson heads the band Native Son. Native Son’s self-entitled sophomore release was received to rave reviews and voted as one of the top releases of 2015 by Offbeat Magazine Readers Poll as well as achieving 8th highest grossing album sold at the 2015 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. In the winter of 2022, Calvin released his third studio album, Notes Of A Native Son, to rave reviews. The project is Johnson’s most recent, and also his first that features his composition and arranging skills. Calvin has toured and/or recorded with the likes of: Harry Connick Jr., Aaron Neville, Jason Derulo, Blind Boys of Alabama, Irma Thomas, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mannie Fresh, Mystikal, Irvin Mayfield, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.