Johnny Lee Middleton

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Johnny Lee Middleton with Savatage at Wacken Open Air 2015

John "Johnny" Lee Middleton III (* 7. May 1963 in Saint Petersburg , Florida ) is an American metal - bassist .

Beginnings (until around 1985)

As a child, Johnny Lee Middleton first learned to play the trumpet . When he joined the school band in sixth grade, the director gave him free lessons after the rehearsals. During this time he learned the saxophone , clarinet and oboe . He played in jazz bands in high school and bought an electric bass guitar at a garage sale for $ 35. He also played the guitar. At another school he founded the Trio Mariah with a guitarist friend . After this band broke up and Middleton had tried his hand at other bar bands without success, he joined the band Lefty . This band was already established and played concerts every evening. They played cover songs and their own songs and were stylistically a glam metal band.

Savatage

Johnny Lee Middleton with Chris Caffery

Even during the recording of Power of the Night , which appeared in 1985, the band Savatage wanted to replace their bassist Keith Collins with Johnny Lee Middleton. However, since he already had an income of around $ 250 dollars at the time while the Savatage members were still working on the side, he canceled. A little later, however, he accepted another offer from the band. He can be heard for the first time on the 1986 album Fight for the Rock . He made a special trip to London to write and record with the band. The album was a difficult situation for both the band and the fans. The record label Atlantic Records wanted to make the band attractive to the general public. However, the attempt failed across the board. In 1987 the album Hall of the Mountain King was released with producer Paul O'Neill . It is now considered one of the band's classics and the progressive sound of the album shaped the style of the band's further development. As with the previous album, Middleton was again involved as a songwriter. In 1989 the album Gutter Ballet, composed by Jon Oliva , Criss Oliva and Paul O'Neill, was released . In 1991, the album was released A rock opera - Streets , which actually first as Broadway - Musical was planned. After this album there were already the first changes. Singer Jon Oliva switched to keyboard and Zachary Stevens was hired as a new singer. In 1993 the album Edge of Thorns was released with this line-up . In the same year guitarist Criss Oliva died in a car accident caused by third parties. Alex Skolnick was signed as a replacement . In 1994 the album Handful of Rain was released . It is not yet fully clear who of the named band members will play on this album at all. According to rumors, most of the album was recorded by Jon Oliva himself. On the 1995 album Dead Winter Dead , Skolnick was replaced by Al Pitrelli and Chris Caffery . Middleton appeared on the studio album The Wake of Magellan , which was released in 1997, for the first time since Gutter Ballet as a songwriter. After the album Poets and Madmen, which was released in 2001, it became quiet about Savatage. After the band's last concert was in 2003 on the 10th anniversary of Criss Oliva's death, Jon Oliva announced a farewell tour for the band's 25th anniversary in 2007. This never happened, however, and Savatage broke up. In 2014 the band announced their reunion at the Wacken Open Air 2015. Jon Oliva did not rule out further band activities.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Johnny Lee Middleton 2007 with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Johnny Lee Middleton has been traveling under the name Trans-Siberian Orchestra since 1996, often accompanied by his former band members Chris Caffery, Al Pitrelli, Jon Oliva and Jeff Plate . The idea was based on the success of the album Dead Winter Dead, especially the instrumental piece "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12-24)". The band has since released several albums and is considered the legitimate successor to Savatage.

Influences

Middleton mentions REO Speedwagon , Cheap Trick, and Black Sabbath as personal influences from high school . At his first concert at Blue Öyster Cult , he decided to become a professional rock musician.

Discography

Savatage

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

  • 1996: Christmas Eve and Other Stories
  • 1998: The Christmas Attic
  • 2000: Beethoven's Last Night (no Christmas album)
  • 2001: The Ghost of Christmas Eve (DVD)
  • 2004: The Lost Christmas Eve (definitive end of Christmas releases)
  • 2007: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (EP with 6 tracks, Limited Edition)
  • 2009: Night Castle (double CD, no Christmas theme)
  • 2012: Dreams of Fireflies (EP with 5 titles)
  • 2013: Tales of Winter (Best Of)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Middleton, Johnny Lee
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Middleton III, John Lee
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American metal bass player
DATE OF BIRTH May 7, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Saint Petersburg , Florida