Singer Michelle Johnson takes the stage at the Vegas Room

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Michelle Johnson performs this week at the Vegas Room.

Wed, Sep 23, 2020 (2 a.m.)

Sun on the Strip

Michelle Johnson

Brock speaks with singer Michelle Johnson.

She’s often called the “First Lady of Jazz” in Las Vegas, but Michelle Johnson can do it all, and that means creating and producing shows and events for herself and other entertainers.

“I love performing at different venues around town, but that is not actually my true bread and butter. That is my passion,” she explains on the latest episode of the Sun on the Strip podcast. “In the meantime, behind the scenes is where my husband and I spend most of our time. On one hand, we provide instruments and what’s called backline, anything that’s behind the stage … and all that gear so [artists] can travel more easily and have the same consistent gear in every city.

“And the other side of it is a production company that does events, anything from lighting and staging and scripting to providing a lot of entertainers for corporate events. When a convention comes to town it might need a hundred-piece choir or a cocktail lounge band or spokesmodels, so it’s kind of an a la carte thing where we supply the talent and logistical pieces for the event.”

With everything from concerts to conventions inactive these days due to pandemic restrictions, Johnson’s business is at a standstill, “just trying to pivot and do other things and survive like everyone else,” she says. But she has managed to stay somewhat active as a performer and the soulful singer makes her debut on one of the newest stages in town this week, at the Vegas Room.

“I was going to do jazz standards … but then I was thinking of some of the things that have happened in my life lately. I’ve lost three friends in the space of 10 days for various reasons, so it’s been a tough time,” Johnson says. “I started thinking about how many people have gone through some period of grief from losing someone, or losing their job or career or a piece of their identity. So now the show is called ‘Being Alive’ and it’s all about songs of hope, about the fact that we’re here right now, still alive, and how to live fully and … propel yourself into what comes next.”

Her three dinner shows set for September 24, 25 and 26 will feature songs from Harold Arlen, George Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim and others, and reservations are available at thevegasroom.com.

“There will be lots of feel-good music from many different artists, songs you know, songs that make you feel something,” Johnson says. “It’s going to be a super-positive show in an intimate, classy setting.”

Listen to this and more on the Sun on the Strip, also available at Apple Podcasts.

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