MARCUS JOHNSON CD RELEASE

As an independent Billboard-ranked musician, producer, owner of a music label, Three Keys Music, and NAACP Image Aware nominee, International Jazz Keyboardist/Pianist Marcus Johnson has emerged as one of the young lions of the music world. Johnson’s unique self-taught style of piano play has earned him distinction among his peers, praise within the media and accolades across the music industry. And now, he continues his quest for success in the business world with his lifestyle branding company, FLO Brands, LLC. ™
Johnson’s testament to his perseverance began in 1995 when he was pursuing both his MBA and Juris Doctorate degrees at Georgetown University, and decided to independently produce and distribute his first jazz album, Lessons in Love, which sold more than 40,000 units; a phenomenal success for an unknown independent artist’s debut release. This album helped him launch his career as a renowned jazz keyboardist/pianist. One year later, he released Inter Alia, with staggering success in the Kemp Mill retail chain, outselling the Titanic soundtrack in the first two weeks of its release. The success and attention that it brought led Johnson to sign a deal with N2K Encoded Music where he released several CDS until the label was sold in 1998.
Johnson’s success caught the attention of Black Entertainment Television (BET) founder and businessman Robert L. Johnson who invested in Marcus and his new found company, Marimelj Entertainment Group. Under their partnership, MEG’s label, Three Keys Music based in the Washington, DC metro area, established its own full service recording studio, Studio 8121; and two music publishing companies, Marimelj Music Publishing and Three Keys Music Publishing. Johnson was also responsible for releasing and producing CDs on the Three Keys label for national jazz artists Michael Lington, Jaared Arosemena, Bobby Lyle, Nick Colionne, R&B singer, Alyson Williams and neo-soul songstress Zahzarah and smooth jazz Saxophonists Phillip Martin and Brian Lenair.
Johnson spent several years heading the label and producing music on the aforementioned artists and over the next ten years, also released several critically acclaimed albums: Inter Alia, Chocolate City Groovin’; Coming Back Around; Urban Groove, In Person: Live at Blues Alley, Just Doing What I Do, Smooth Jazz Christmas and In Concert for a Cause, all charting at Top 20 or more on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Charts.