http://www.roycejohns.com

My name is Royce Johns and I am a singer/songwriter/entertainer from Polk City, Iowa. A mentor once told me, “your performance is totally subjective to what the audience feels, always keep in mind what you are giving them.” Since then, these are the words in which I build my performance”. I always give them the honesty of who I am, no fake smiles, no dancing around on stage, nothing un-genuine. For a lot of country music today, that honesty is missing. 

 In my second year of business I logged 190 shows for 2017. These shows ranged as far west as Las Vegas and east as Nashville, but most of which have been in Iowa. 

 I started in a cover band trio, Lincoln Rockhouse, formed by me and two seasoned musicians. I played lead guitar and sang lead vocals. After getting my feet wet in the rock/blues side of things, it became evident that I wanted to start my solo brand and push myself to play as many shows as I could. On January 13, 2016 I played my first solo show, closing the night for Eric Paslay at Shotgun Betty’s in West Des Moines. From then on, it has been a blur of madness trying to keep up with the work the state of Iowa has provided for me. 

As a guitar player, I feel that using a looper for the show is what sets my performance apart from other solo acoustic acts. The looper provides a dynamic sound that would otherwise have to be created by multiple musicians. It grabs people’s attention. It gets them dancing. It keeps them interested and entertained. There are endless possibilities with a looper and a musician who wants to work their ass off. I do not cover any of Ed Sheeran’s work, but the guy sold out Wells Fargo arena with just himself, a guitar, and a looper on stage. 

That’s my dream.