Johnny Lee Middleton is a musician and songwriter best known as the bass player for
Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He first came to prominence
as a member of Savatage, the Florida metal band he joined in late
1985. The title track for Hall of the Mountain King, on which Johnny Lee received a
co-writing credit, saw heavy rotation on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.
The followup record, Gutter Ballet, had similar success.
Since 1985, Johnny Lee has been the only member of Savatage to
participate in every album and tour.
In 1995, Johnny Lee performed on the Savatage album Dead
Winter Dead—the album that featured "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo
12/24)," an epic instrumental medley of "Carol of the Bells" and
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" that featured a string orchestra
alongside the electric guitars. "Christmas Eve" was an overnight
sensation.
Savatage producer Paul O'Neill knew he was on to something big.
Johnny Lee and the other members of Savatage returned to the studio
in the summer of 1996, this time with a full orchestra and a variety
of singers. O'Neill wrote a Christmas story and intertwined it with
well-known classical pieces and the Savatage brand of hard-hitting
rock and roll. This new project was christened Trans-Siberian
Orchestra, and their first album, Christmas Eve and Other
Stories—which included a re-release of "Christmas Eve"—was released
in the fall of 1996.
Since 1996, Christmas Eve and Other Stories has sold
nearly 3 million copies. Its three followups—all featuring Johnny
Lee on bass—have sold nearly 4 million more. The latest TSO CD, Night Castle, has just been released. And the annual holiday
tour, which began in 1999, consistently sells out venues across the
United States and Canada. In 2008 alone, Trans-Siberian Orchestra
played live for nearly 1.5 million people.
At present, Johnny Lee is on the road with TSO. Check the tour dates for details! His latest single Broken Wings is now available at iTunes and Amazon.com. His first single Tennessee is also available at iTunes and Amazon.com.
Stay tuned for more!
Learn more at http://www.johnnyleemiddleton.com.
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