A lauded gospel vocalist,
Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson has a sound that straddles the line between contemporary and traditional styles. 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 has 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 has 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'.
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. Beginning with his debut album, 1998's Through the Storm, and its follow-up, 1999's Live and Alive,
Johnson has been a favorite on the gospel scene. Usually joined by the
Spiritual Voices, he has issued a number of Billboard gospel-charting albums like 2004's
New Season, which reached number 12. It also spawned the single "Let Go, Let God," which took home BMI's Most Played Song of the Year Award. More Top 30 Billboard Gospel Chart albums followed, including 2005's
Unity and 2006's
Just Being Me.
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. ~ Matt Collar