Interview: John Boy & Surround Sound

Who is John Boy & Surround Sound?

Johnathan “John Boy” Wright is a songwriter, musician, and emcee. His musical works include songs by “Soulja Boy”, “Ying Yang Twins”, “Mike Jones”, “Young Jeezy”, “Yung Joc”, “Hurricane Chris”, etc. and the smash hit Wobble by “V.I.C.” Recently, he set out on a journey to prove to the fans of Wobble record that he could write/produce another hit with a similar impact of the Wobble song, which led to his follow up record titled Back Into It, which includes upcoming artist “Charm” and the iconic legendary rapper from Atlanta “Kilo Ali”. Ironically, this record has begun to follow the same “line dance” movement as the Wobble record.

With the current success of the Back Into It song, and proper guidance of his manager “DJ Jelly”, “John Boy”, with the help of long term friends Koda Dixon (Platipus Jonez) and Geron Moore (Black), has developed a multiple piece brass-band to amplify his now huge movement begun with the success of both records, with the band being titled “John Boy & Surround Sound”! “Surround Sound” includes the full-bodied sound of beautiful, bright, brass, vibrating percussion, electric lead, powerful bass, the strong element of piano keys, to go along with the mind-blowing, hype, emceeing of “John Boy” and his vocalists.

With the release of their first album titled Plug N’ Play, “John Boy and Surround Sound” have been compared to likes of “OutKast”, “James Brown”, “Cab Calloway”, and “Earth, Wind, and Fire” combined. Stay tuned for their upcoming sophomore album self-titled Susonia. You definitely have to see and hear it to believe it!!!

Surround Sound consists of the following band members:

Trombone players:
Koda aka “Platipus Jonez”
Michael aka “Mike G”

Trumpet players:
Erika aka “Erika Guy”
Brian aka “Professor Creamy”

Tuba Players:
Brad aka “Brad”
Nate aka “Nasty Nate the Great”

Percussionist:
Cricket aka “Cricket” on Quintuplet Toms
Donnell aka “3D” on Drum Set

Guitarist:
Jeriko aka “DigiGost” on bass
Kirk aka “ItsAKirkBeat” on lead

Keyboardist:
Benjamin Alden

Vocalist:
Johnathan “aka” John Boy
Shaconda aka “LS Lane”
Dominique aka “Slim Dynamite
Jeriko aka “Digigost”

Management:
Jonathan aka “DJ Jelly”
Derrick aka “Big D”
Rance aka “Rance”

What brought John Boy & Surround Sound together as a music making machine?

The combined visions of John Boy, DJ Jelly, and one of the band members named Platipus Jonez. John Boy is known to many in the music industry as a hype-man, Jelly had an idea to make John Boy’s hype performances bigger. John Boy hooked up with Platipus Jonez, and they collectively came up with the idea to add a band to intensify what was already presented within John Boy’s show. Which now has become John Boy and Surround; for the first time in history, a hype-man/artist/multi- platinum producer with a full brass band.

What and/or who has influenced the music styling that “JASS” brings to the industry today?

“JASS” is heavily influenced by Cab Calloway, James Brown, OutKast, Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys, Earth Wind and Fire, Jackson Five, and a few more.

Tell us about your current project… and, What’s coming next?

Answer: Our debut album is titled Plug N’ Pay, which was based mostly around the current successes of lead artist, John Boy. Our sophomore album is titled Susonia, and this project is more group oriented, in which all members of the band have provided an equal amount of creative input.

What do you want people to get from your music?

We want to influence the newer music generations to regain their interest and love for live instrumentation. “Synthesized” music will “secure the bag” for a short term, but live instrumentation will last forever. We want our name and music to reign beyond our lifetime, just like the Temptations, Michael Jackson, Prince, etc.

What has been John Boy & Surround Sounds greatest achievement so far in the music entertainment industry?

We are currently headlining our own road tour, and releasing our second album in the process. Not many artists, well known and unknown, can say that.

Where would be the ultimate dream venue for John Boy & Surround Sound to perform?

On the Grammy Award stage! And/Or The Super Bowl stage!

Last but not least, HYPE wants to know… What’s your CRAZIEST “Where did they do that at?”! moment…

A well known multi-platinum artist told us that he/she didn’t want to perform after us in a show because we bring too much energy, and he/she didn’t want us to steal his following. WTH! LOL

Social Media:
Instagram.com/surroundsound13
Facebook.com/johnboyandsurroundsound

SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER