I want  my music to be a language and then surprise everyone with what I have to say -rusty johnson

While most know of Rusty Johnson as a musician, his music is only part of the story…

 

As a product of the foster care system, Rusty had the odds stacked against him.  Maybe it was the small “village” of Oskaloosa, Iowa who helped raised him, or maybe it was the many foster parents and community members who impacted his life, or perhaps it was the saxophone or music …but whatever it was, Rusty Johnson has defied those odds. 

 

In fourth grade, Rusty was moved into foster care. It didn’t take long for him to do everything in his power to upset the lives of most all who were trying to help him.  Over the next two years and through hospitalizations, temporary foster homes and attempts at reunification with his biological home, Rusty rebelled and he did so very well.

 

Shortly before Rusty was to begin his 6th grade year, the Department of Human Services was in a desperate search for a family willing to take on a young, troubled pre-adolescent teen.  Rusty was also greatly struggling in school, often getting in physical altercations with students, bullying and be bullied and even terrorizing teachers.  Rusty’s social worker found Ms. Carolyn Brickley, an elementary music teacher who lived in a small town of about 1,200 people.  Ms. Brickley agreed to take Rusty as a foster child, but only for a short time until a more permanent living situation could be found.  A lot was changing for Rusty and a lot more was about to come.    

 

It was also during this time that Rusty had caseworker-supervised visits between himself, his biological mother and three sisters.  It was during one of these visits that his mother gave him a saxophone, which was the same saxophone his eldest sister played in school.  What Rusty didn’t realize was his mother had already called Ms. Brickley (his foster mother and elementary music teacher) and asked if she would be willing to provide Rusty with music lessons.  Upon receiving the saxophone an agreement was made, or perhaps more appropriately, a strong suggestion was made by his mother; that Rusty would become Kenny G.

 

Rusty lost his hero and mother January 24, 1994 when he was in the 7th grade.  Devastated and confused, Rusty took to his saxophone.  But with such a loss, Rusty also acted out and rebelled making what all thought was a promising future into a grim future.  In addition to the stress of losing his mother, Rusty was also battling what seemed like a never-ending series hospital visits, surgeries, pain and medical uncertainty.

 

Shortly before the death of Rusty’s mother, he had two major operations which discovered a huge blood vessel mass that was wrapping around his chest which was growing rapidly.  The best doctors in the United States were certain Rusty would die without an operation or intervention, however Rusty could not be operated on because the mass was so large he would likely die on the operating table.  It was by chance and doctors around the country working in tangent that a new procedure was found, a procedure that would save Rusty’s life.  Over Rusty’s middle and high school years he would board a plane once a month and fly to Denver, Colorado to have these life-saving operations.  To this day, Rusty has had more than 30 operations. 

 

Continuing through homes, institutions, and hospitals Rusty never left the final gift his mother gave him, the saxophone.  After graduating with congressional honors from Central College, in Pella, Iowa, Rusty pursued his Master’s Degree at University of North Texas.  Since, his musical adventures have taken him to places, like:  Romania, Germany, throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, Canada, China, and coast-to-coast throughout the United States.  In addition to headlining his own shows, he has shared the stage, recorded, or appeared as the opening act for artists, such as:  5-time Grammy Award-winning and 56 Dove Award-winning Steven Curtis Chapman, Chart-topping Nikki Leonti, world-famous trombonist John Fedchock, Gaither-recording and world-touring Marvin Matthews, recording sensation percussionist Alex Acuna, legendary pianist Buddy Shanahan, and 3-time Oscar and Grammy-winner Joe Hogue, and many more.  Rusty has appeared on talk shows, interviews, and has been reviewed on ABC, CBS, NBC, and NPR radio and television, and has been the feature of newspaper stories from Dallas to Shanghai.

 

Rusty Johnson has used his personal story and journey through foster care to reach thousands throughout the United States.  In 2006, Rusty combined his music and advocacy to create the first “Rusty Johnson’s American Dreams” tour, which is still going strong and has raised thousands of dollars for current foster youth in States across the United States. Rusty travels as a featured keynote speaker and trainer with a focus on foster care.  Rusty has developed curricula which are currently being used to train foster/adoptive parents throughout the United States. His child welfare advocacy has received national recognition, positions, and awards, such as:  Head-Congressional Intern on Capitol Hill, the Central College TRIO Achiever, Congressional State of Iowa Certificate of Recognition, the El Paso CARE Coalition Achievement Award, the Texas DFPS Commissioner’s Note on Personal Achievement, the Iowa State Executive Department Award, the 2011 Central College Young Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2009-2012 he was named as the Child Abuse Prevention Celebrity by the Dallas Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Center.

 

Rusty recently moved back to his home state of Iowa after a successful music and advocacy career in Southern California.  To sign-up for Rusty’s newsletter, view his performances, tours, and be the first to know about the release of his much anticipated debut album and book, please sign up for the newsletter!