Eldon Johnson was born and raised in the small town of Williston, in the northwest corner of North Dakota. At an early age, he exhibited a talent for writing poetry, as well as an insatiable love of music. These two fascinations naturally meshed, and Eldon began writing songs at the age of 17. He formed the band, True North, with Jim Ed Hodges, which obtained immediate success and notoriety. On their first attempt, the duo became the North and South Dakota state champions in the 2003 Colgate Country Showdown, placing in the top 40 out of over 50,000 contestants nationwide. Now residing in Fargo, Johnson continues to hone his skills as a singer/songwriter and performer, and his popularity and loyal fan base continue to grow with each well-crafted show. His style has been described as a “unique concoction of country, americana, bluegrass, and folk,” and his intricate, universally-relevant, and carefully-crafted lyrics blend seamlessly with the warm, smooth texture of his voice.

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Eldon Johnson /True North bio

Eldon Johnson was born and raised in the small town of Williston, in the northwest corner of North Dakota. At an early age, he exhibited a talent and penchant for writing poetry, as well as an insatiable love of music. These two fascinations naturally meshed, and Eldon began writing songs at the age of 17. He continued his musical endeavors while attending college at the University of North Dakota, where he obtained his Masters degree in Physical Therapy in 1995. Since then, he has continued playing music throughout the upper Midwest, garnering a tremendous following of loyal and devoted fans. He formed the band, True North, with Jim Ed Hodges, which obtained immediate success and notoriety. On their first attempt, the duo became the North and South Dakota state champions in the 2003 Colgate Country Showdown, placing in the top 40 out of over 50,000 contestants nationwide. This early success prompted the release of Eldon and True North’s debut CD, “Down The Road,” which was released in April, 2006. Being a multi-faceted musician, Eldon’s wide-ranging contributions to the album include lead and harmony vocals, acoustic guitar, and all of the drums and percussion—as well as self-producing the album and writing 12 of the 14 songs!

Now residing in Fargo, Johnson continues to hone his skills as a singer/songwriter and performer, and his popularity and loyal fan base continue to grow with each well-crafted show. His style has been described as a “unique concoction of country, americana, bluegrass, and folk,” and his intricate and carefully-crafted lyrics blend seamlessly with the warm, smooth texture of his voice. Eldon’s soulful songwriting and captivating performances are rich with universally-relevant themes, pulling the listener in and not letting go until the last note has been sung.


Color photos available upon request
www.truenorthzone.com
www.myspace.com/truenorthzone
Contact and bookings: eldon@truenorthzone.com
Tour schedule: www.truenorthzone.com

Notable Quotes

"True North is An American Original"

There are really only two completely American musical genres – jazz and bluegrass. Fargo, North Dakota-based trio, True North, is an American original. And just so there is no confusion, they don’t play jazz.

True North plays bluegrass, tinged with the blues, sprinkled with Americana, infused by Gospel, and nestled up comfortably next to country-folk with an occasional nod to high lonesome. This is a guitar strumming, banjo picking, fiddle sawing, upright bass slapping concoction that will have you foot-tapping and knee slapping if you’ve got a drop of frontier blood in you.

Down The Road, the trio’s debut project is a fourteen-song collection of American family values set to music. The title track, which opens the album, is a dichotomously cheerful tune about the loss of friends, through the natural progression of life and the inevitability of death. Rather than focusing on the sadness that is inherent in such loss, the True North boys chose to cast their eyes on the glad reunion that looms over the horizon for true friends. “It hurts to say goodbye, but through the Lord I know/ That I’ll see you down the road.”

“Tricycles and Tonka Trucks” lets the bluegrass banjo take center stage while lead vocalist Eldon Johnson mourns the loss of the innocence that was part and parcel of life as a boy. The theme carries on, though with a slightly different twist in “I’ll Go On (Sarah’s Song),” where young love finds its fulfillment in a lifetime of commitment.

Somewhere between Nickel Creek and the Crabb Family, True North is assessable enough to appeal to mainstream middle America without selling out their bluegrass roots. Down the Road is a delightful break from the tedium of the ordinary.

Mike Parker
www.buddyhollywood.com

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"One word...Amazing"

Down the Road is now sincerely one of my favorite CD's. Each word adds to the richness and message within each song. It is pure and real and simple. It touches memories and triggers emotions on many levels. One moment you're laughing, then crying and then taking on the world and all that is before you and within you.

SuLin Landgraff

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"Great job!"

Well thought-out lyric, arrangement, personal and sincere vocal delivery. Warm timbre and phrasing work well with the imagery (of the album)...Dramatic and idealistic. Excellent vocals...radio ready. No doubt you're local heroes in Fargo.

Taxi review


Albums

This Artist has 1 Album
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