Career
Johnston's chief role in WWE is providing the soundtrack for WWE programming, in addition to providing musical content for WWE's large output of video games and website content. Johnston achieved fame for producing many of the memorable entrance theme songs for the WWE Superstars, including The Undertaker, The Rock, D-Lo Brown and Steve Austin, amongst hundreds of other superstars, many of which have been released on commercial albums and through iTunes.
Beyond superstar entrance themes, Johnston also composes music for the majority of WWE's PPV and Television productions, including show themes, music videos, vignettes, commercials and tributes. He likens his work to from our executive producer: ‘We’ve got a new guy coming,' or ‘He’s breaking out of a tag team and he needs music.' It's like scoring for a movie: Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Is he light and svelte and quick-moving, which dictates a fast tempo, or is he a big plodding kind of a guy, in which case you need a big, heavy, the-wrath-of-God-is-coming-upon-us sound?"
Johnston has mentioned in past interviews that he suffers from stage fright and a fear of live audiences, and it was this fear that led to him seeking a more 'studio oriented' music career. His first job in the entertainment business was working with MTV and VH1 to create bumpers and commercial cues, before a chance meeting in a sushi restaurant with a WWF producer led to him joining Vince McMahon's professional wrestling company. Initially composing TV themes for shows and commercial buffers as they were needed, Johnston gravitated towards becoming complete Composer, Director and Producer of Music for the company.
Johnston has scored several film projects for WWE Studios, including The Chaperone, That's What I Am and The Reunion. He also provided music for other WWE-affiliated products including the World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL.
Johnston is well known for writing, composing and producing all his compositions alone, in addition to playing all instruments. He will occasionally recruit outside vocalists or additional musicians to contribute when the piece requires, and often prefers to bring in unsigned bands and new artists to provide vocals. In 2008, Johnston publicly expressed his frustration to Billboard Magazine at the inability of WWE to secure better promotional deals with artists due to a lack of understanding of the WWE product. He said, ""One of my frustrations is getting the word out about just how much music is used in our product. The labels will stumble over themselves to get on MTV, but no one's watching MTV." Conversely, WWE and Johnston have been responsible for helping to fuel a surge in sales for associated acts such as Fuel, Shinedown and Motorhead through their use in WWE productions.
Read more about this topic: Jim Johnston (composer)
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