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Keith Wonderboy Johnson
THE MOMENT
Early Life
A lauded gospel vocalist, Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson’s sound straddled the line between contemporary and traditional styles. Born Keith Lamar Johnson in Brooklyn in 1972, he grew up in a musical family and first started demonstrating a knack for singing around age five; he was given the nickname “Wonderboy” due to his talent as a vocalist. Early on, he was a member of the Spiritual Voices, a group put together by his father.
CAREER
He initially built a fan base with well-received albums like 1998’s Through the Storm and 2000’s Live and Alive, the latter of which reached number 12 on the gospel chart. Johnson issued a number of Top 20 Billboard gospel-charting albums, including 2002’s Send a Revival, 2004’s New Season, and 2011’s Back 2 Basics: Chapter Two. He also scored a number two gospel hit in 2009 with “I Wouldn’t Know You,” alongside James Fortune and FIYA. Throughout his discography, Johnson remained true to his inspirations, which include the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, Shirley Caesar, and the Hawkins Family. In 2018, he took home two Stellar Awards for his album Keep Pushin’. In 2009, he issued Stronger Than Ever, which once again featured the Spiritual Voices. That same year, he scored a number two gospel hit with “I Wouldn’t Know You,” singing alongside James Fortune and FIYA. Back 2 Basics: Chapter Two followed in 2011 and landed at number twenty on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. Included on the album was the Top 20 single “True Love.” That same year, he scored his first number two gospel hit singing with Nakitta Fox on James Fortune and FIYA’s single “I Wouldn’t Know You” off 2007’s The Transformation. In 2018, Johnson returned with the full-length Keep Pushin’, which took home two Stellar Awards. Another Stellar Award came his way in 2020 for Quartet of the Year. Keith “Wonderboy”
DEATH
Johnson died on September 30, 2022 at his home in Atlanta, GA at the age of 50.
QUICK FACTS
Thank you to the New York Tristate Owner and Operators Association for your continued support of the Black Community.
All featured faces of Black History are not captured in the 2023 theatre production.