Related Content
The first time Carnell Johnson walked onto the ice before a Golden Knights game at T-Mobile Arena, he was trembling.
A singing gondolier at the Venetian on and off for the last 17 years, Johnson is used to performing for a crowd, just not one of 18,000. The nervousness, combined with the bitter chill from the ice below the red carpet he stood on, caused his body to shake.
When Johnson began to sing, his nerves subsided and his powerful baritone voice filled the arena. His austere way of belting out the lyrics was unique among the many singers who attempt to embellish or add their own twist.
He humbly sang every line until he reached “gave proof through the night,” where he paused and held his microphone into the air during “night.”
As is tradition at T-Mobile Arena, the sold-out crowd unleashed a deafening “Knight!” roar. It was at that moment that Johnson won over the Golden Knights’ faithful.
“Everyone enjoyed that I paused,” Johnson said. “I wanted to acknowledge and respect the fans’ dedication and their contribution to the environment, and I think they liked it.”
They certainly did.
Johnson sang a few more times during the regular season and received high praise from the fans, who gifted him a custom Golden Knights jersey with “Golden Pipes” on the nameplate. He wraps a scarf around his neck while performing, adorning a new pin for every appearance.
The pins multiplied quickly this spring as he received call after call from the team once the postseason arrived, quickly becoming the unofficial anthem singer for the playoffs.
Carnell Johnson waves after performing the Canadian and American national anthems before Game 4 of the NHL hockey playoffs Western Conference finals at T-Mobile Arena Friday, May 18, 2018.
“Sometimes the universe just has things happen certain ways,” said Jonny Greco, the Golden Knights’ vice president of events and entertainment. “When we held anthem tryouts, the message we always wanted to send was that we wanted to listen to the city of Las Vegas.”
Johnson, 36, was born in Las Vegas and has lived in the valley his entire life. He has patrolled the waters of the Venetian grand canals for nearly two decades, serenading tourists with “That’s Amore,” “Bella Notte” and other more traditional Italian ballads.
He also has a second job as a supervisor and usher at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, and is raising his 11-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter.
“He provided an anthem that wasn’t a celebrity anthem,” Greco said. “In this city the locals hold it nearer. A celebrity is great and exciting, but that’s not a hard thing to do in Vegas. They are everywhere. The fans appreciate the local everyman. He’s one of them.”
But Johnson’s celebrity grew prior to the Golden Knights’ Western Conference Finals series when country music superstar Carrie Underwood — who is married to Predators forward Mike Fisher and sings the anthem regularly in Nashville — offered to sing for the Golden Knights on Twitter. Her tweet was met with a wave of support for Johnson by Golden Knights fans.
“All these other people came to my defense with ‘No thanks, we have our singer,’” Johnson said. “I love Carrie’s music and would’ve been honored to sing with her, but the support I received was overwhelming.”
On May 16 Johnson took to the ice to sing “O Canada,” and for a moment, fans thought he might retreat to the tunnel in favor of Underwood for the American anthem, but to their delight he remained.
“When the crowd realized I wasn’t going anywhere they erupted and it caught me off guard,” he said. “I started to get emotional, but I had to sing so I regrouped.”
Johnson’s everyday life has changed since becoming “Golden Pipes.”
People often recognize him at his gondolier job, even with the straw hat, red scarf and black and white-striped shirt. He said he hasn’t received any requests to sing the anthem on the gondola — yet.
“I’ve taken a lot more pictures than I ever have,” he said. “The biggest thing is I’ve been getting a lot of offers and just calls to sing for other events.”
Johnson sang the anthem at the MGM Grand Garden Arena June 9 before Terence Crawford took on Jeremy Horn for the World Boxing Organization welterweight title, and the crowd even yelled “Knight” during his performance.
He’s received a variety of other offers and said he plans to sing the anthem for the Las Vegas Aces WNBA team at Mandalay Bay and the NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center later this month.
“As chill as the gondolas are, it’s not a career,” Johnson said. “It’s a means to pay the bills and keep my voice in shape. My ultimate career passions are to pursue Broadway, and I would love to do voice-overs for animated movies and video games.”
Johnson said the bit of fame he’s gained from his anthem singing has certainly boosted those aspirations.
As for next season, Johnson will definitely be back for multiple anthems.
“We want to continue showcasing different people on most nights,” Greco said. “If it wasn’t for that approach we never would have discovered Carnell, after all. But it’s safe to say he will be a regular.”
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy