Singing is Second Nature for Tri-County Alumna

CONTACT: LISA GARRETT, EXT. 2315

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/5/99
(By Lisa Garrett)

ANDERSON --- Music is Wanda Johnson's passion.

Check the Upstate's weekend entertainment schedule and it's likely you'll be fortunate enough to catch her on the stage of such clubs as Occasionally Blues and Corbett McGee's Irish Pub, belting out blues standards and developing an instant rapport with her growing legion of fans.

Growing up in Belton, singing with her parents, Hattie and Jake Johnson, her eight sisters and grandmother, was second nature. "Our voices were our instruments," recalls Johnson, who never pursued singing professionally until 1999 when things started happening – quickly.

A childhood fantasy is now reality for the 36-year-old Johnson, who came to the realization last year that she wanted to seriously pursue a music career. "I consciously said, 'I'm going to go for it.' And things are opening up for me," said Johnson, who, earlier this year completed a two-week gig in Paris, France, and later this summer was asked to open for the king of blues, B.B. King, at the legend's Blues Festival in Greenville.

"God has given me a gift," she said. "I have no formal training, but singing is like breathing to me."

She takes equally as much pride in her work as the receptionist for Judge Carl Anderson at Anderson County Summary Court weekdays from 8:30 – 5. "I love my job. I am fortunate to work with Judge Carl Anderson, a man of great integrity," she added.

Several months before graduating from Tri-County Technical College's Criminal Justice department in 1995, she landed the job for Anderson County Summary Court. "I entered the criminal justice field because I wanted a career where I can make a difference right away. I am interested in people's right to due process. I have the opportunity daily to help individuals find their way through the criminal justice system. I am the first face they see when they enter the lobby of the summary court, and I try to answer their questions and put things in layman's terms for them so it's not so intimidating. I do a little bit of everything. Often the office is chaotic and that lobby can get pretty crazy. But if I don't do my job well, it can get even crazier. It's important to treat people with respect."

Johnson's perspective wasn't always so clear. While a student at Tri-County, her 10-year marriage began to dissolve, along with her self-esteem.

"I was in a state of emotional upheaval. I was two semesters away from graduation, and I was seriously considering dropping out. School really mattered to me, but I couldn't handle it."

At her lowest point, she finally broke down and told department head Lew Holton about her marital situation and her thoughts of abandoning college. "Lew immediately said, 'you can't quit.' He encouraged me and helped me to see that I could make it. He was my eyes when I couldn't see things clearly. When I was saying I can't make it, he saw my capabilities and for that I'll be forever grateful."

"One of the obligations of every teacher is to encourage students to do something with the potential you see," said Holton. "With Wanda, it was a very natural thing to do. Since I met her, she has matured and grown as an individual, but her potential was always there."

In those days she was operating on autopilot. "Fear can be your greatest motivator. My self-esteem was totally gone. I felt invisible. I saw myself shrinking daily. I kept telling myself, if you want it badly enough, keep moving forward," she said. College scholarships, such as the James R. Longo and the J. B. Ouzts Memorial Scholarships, eased the financial burden when Johnson was living on her own and getting up at the crack of dawn to begin the first of several jobs before attending evening classes at Tri-County.

Throughout it all, she maintained her integrity. "Once that is compromised, it's hard to redeem," she said.

She said Holton and classmates rallied to help her through a difficult period in her life. "Today, I tell people that if they are going through a bad time, you'll be amazed what people will do for you. People at Tri-County Tech wanted me to succeed. The fact that I graduated at all is my biggest honor – and I attribute it to Lew and my classmates who were in my corner."

In fact, Holton knew she could succeed not only academically, but on stage as well. After hearing her sing at a church service, he and several others invited her to a local blues club which was hosting Open Mike Night. Holton talked with the band members, and later that evening Johnson was invited to sing on stage. "They offered her a job before the evening was over," Holton remembers.

Life just got better and better for Johnson, who graduated that May and continues to work in a job in her field. "I regrouped and got my life back in order. Tech really was my salvation. It boosted my self-esteem," she said.

After taking a little more than a year off from school, she began the pursuit of a bachelor's degree at Southern Wesleyan University. "A bachelor's degree was mandatory for me. There are more opportunities afforded with college degrees. I have to take care of myself."

After graduating with a B.S. in business administration in 1998, she found herself with more time to devote to performing and rehearsing. By February of this year she had been invited to Paris to tour with Shrimp City Slim, a band out of Charleston.

While playing in a club in Anderson four years ago, someone from Charleston was in the audience and scribbled her name on a cocktail napkin and gave it to Gary Erwin, the leader of Shrimp City Slim.

She traveled to Charleston where she did a show with Erwin and his band at a restaurant. At the band's request, she returned the next weekend for another show.

At the end of the performance, Erwin said he needed a female vocalist and asked if she would like to go to Europe with the band. They traveled to Paris in May for six sell-out shows.

"Having Wanda in the group was a definite plus," said Erwin. "I'm convinced that this young lady has the chops and panache to go wherever her musical career leads her , and I, for one, urge you to check her out on her way up."

"Things are opening up for me. When people started following me and asking when my next show is, I said to myself, 'there might be something to this.'

"I'm actively pursuing my dream. I've truly been blessed. I believe every blessing I have comes from God," said Johnson.
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