Contrary to popular misconceptions, I was not born aspiring to be a singer, songwriter, or yodeler. As a kid growing up during 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, my passions were drawing pictures and writing stories. Sometimes my art instigated a story and sometimes a story instigated my art. With a love for animals and all things wild, I consumed countless books, novels, movies, and documentaries about wild creatures and the adventurers who studied, hunted, trapped, and protected them. My first career goal was to be a Veterinarian and later during my high school years, a Forest Ranger.
Following my high school graduation in June 1965, I received a Draft Notice from Uncle Sam and I enlisted in the US Navy in September of that year. Two Vietnam tours, 1967 to 1969, aboard the USS Constellation CVA-64 would change that. After my Honorable Discharge in 1970 I was just too restless to academically focus on the college courses required to pursue a Forestry career so I sought other employment avenues as well as continuing my writings and drawings. Creating and performing music however, was still the furthest thing from my young mind.
. . . Mike Johnson, MAJJ Productions
Following my high school graduation in June 1965, I received a Draft Notice from Uncle Sam and I enlisted in the US Navy in September of that year. Two Vietnam tours, 1967 to 1969, aboard the USS Constellation CVA-64 would change that. After my Honorable Discharge in 1970 I was just too restless to academically focus on the college courses required to pursue a Forestry career so I sought other employment avenues as well as continuing my writings and drawings. Creating and performing music however, was still the furthest thing from my young mind.
. . . Mike Johnson, MAJJ Productions
Mike Johnson's Novels!
Take a walk on the wild side and pick out an action packed adventure that you won't be able to put down until the end! Easy-to-read text! You don't need a magnifying glass to read our books!
Take a walk on the wild side and pick out an action packed adventure that you won't be able to put down until the end! Easy-to-read text! You don't need a magnifying glass to read our books!
First… there was the JUNGLE BOOK! * Then… TARZAN OF THE APES!
And now. . . THE LEOPARD’S CUB
“I enjoyed it very much! Big Jim Pierce, ex-Movie Tarzan (1927)
And now. . . THE LEOPARD’S CUB
“I enjoyed it very much! Big Jim Pierce, ex-Movie Tarzan (1927)
“A rumbling behind him caused him to turn, spear on guard. And in doing so he lost his balance and fell to the wet turf in the path of the approaching elephant. Kazar propped himself up, spear pointed at the ponderous beast, a snarl escaping from his lips. Hurt and wounded, a leopard is the most dangerous of beasts, ready to fight to the end. And such was the delirious Kazar the leopard’s cub, defiant to the end.”
Our story begins when... A small private plane zipped across the Central African jungles towards Nairobi carrying a family of three. When it crossed the Ottawa River, fate intervened and sent it earthward never to rise again. When the noise of the crash settled, four-year old Kevin Miguel Edwards was plucked from the wreckage by L’Naura, a female leopard, and raised among her litters as one of her own. |
And that life was hard-earned, for even in a land of plenty, there were just as many times of drought, famine, sickness, and other ever-present dangers that threatened the life of the little adopted cub. But under the protective eyes and persistent teachings of the savage L’Naura, young Kevin grew strong and wise in his beautiful but savage home.
Then one day he met man...
Then one day he met man...
Share the experience of a lifetime when into Kyle’s life hitch-hikes
A Real Live Country Song!
“Boy!” he stared hard.
Mike stared back just as hard into his eyes. “You sing good country, boy,” he growled. “Thanks,” Mike’s voice was even. Scott moved towards the middle of the bar, closer to the stage, as a precaution. “I can yodel too,” the biker grinned. “It’s not that hard,” Mike replied. “Yeah, I know. My mother can yodel too. Can you yodel better’n my mother?” “Hmm…” “See this? He nodded to his waistband and moved his vest slightly aside. Inside the belt was a derringer.” “Yep, I see it.” “If you can’t yodel better’n my mother I’ll shoot ya.” |
Clancy’s General Store sits on the access road on the west-bound side of Interstate 10, between Houston and San Antonio. Kyle, a delivery boy, was prepared for a rather routine day of deliveries, sweeping, and truck washing, when his lunch break was interrupted by a hitchhiking, guitar-packing cowboy stopping by to quench his thirst. Kyle’s curiosity instigates an impromptu concert of songs and stories that take him on an exciting journey beyond his wildest imagination.
Bonus material at the end of the book includes “A Real Live Country Song” lyrics, photographs of Mike and some of the famous yodelers he’s met over the years, and meeting Bart Plantenga, author of the ground breaking (2004) best seller, “Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo, the Secret History of Yodeling Around the World. This is most definitely a country music fan’s story.
BONUS SECTION at the end includes Lyrics to "A Real Live Country Song" which inspired this book, and photographs of Mike Johnson and famous Yodelers he's met over the years.
Bonus material at the end of the book includes “A Real Live Country Song” lyrics, photographs of Mike and some of the famous yodelers he’s met over the years, and meeting Bart Plantenga, author of the ground breaking (2004) best seller, “Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo, the Secret History of Yodeling Around the World. This is most definitely a country music fan’s story.
BONUS SECTION at the end includes Lyrics to "A Real Live Country Song" which inspired this book, and photographs of Mike Johnson and famous Yodelers he's met over the years.
Shoot-out in the desert! Combat in Vietnam! Jaguar hunt in Bolivia!
Memories Die Hard
“The human brain is like a file cabinet. Each experience in one’s life contributes to the total makeup of the soul. How one handles those experiences is up to the individual. Mike Johnson proves that while some memories fade with time, others die hard.
As with most writers, Mike hasn’t given up his day job. He’s been traveling the country in a semi since 1981, adding to his file called memory, and possessing an inner visual perception that allows him to pen his memories on paper in a way that puts one in the midst of his recollections. Down around Tucson, Mike drops in on Jim Beard, an old Vietnam War buddy and his family. Their reminiscing takes you on a secret operation behind enemy lines with such vividness that your pores began to sweat under the tropical heat, your nose gets stuffy from the stench in the rat tunnels, and your skin crawls, itching from the stinging of insects and rasping elephant grasses. When the Beards are suddenly called to Phoenix because of a death in the family, Mike departs into the desert on one of their horses to enjoy a youthful pleasure. Camping. |
“Memories Die Hard” is several stories in one. You’ll feel the pain, the sorrow at the loss of loved ones, see the beauty of the flora and fauna, and spear hunt the jaguar with a famous South American Jaguar hunter of yore. You’ll surely enjoy this if you like adventure and aren’t squeamish about death, destruction, and bad situations told complete with the language of the events, which at times is a bit vulgar, but not for vulgarity’s sake. Exciting drama laced with the love only an outdoor adventurer can have for everything and everyone. This is one of the best reads you’ll ever have.”
(This is an EXCERPT from a December 1999 article by Wild Bill Halbert, (17 August 1920-8 August 2003) owner and publisher of Sharing & Caring Literary Magazine, Wills Point, Texas.)
(This is an EXCERPT from a December 1999 article by Wild Bill Halbert, (17 August 1920-8 August 2003) owner and publisher of Sharing & Caring Literary Magazine, Wills Point, Texas.)
The Saga of the Leopard’s Cub continues with a Family Reunion, a Talk of Diamonds, and Bloody Revenge!
What the Jungle Saw!
“I have come to kill you, Rudy Pawn! You are the killer of L’Naura,” and Kazar slowly advanced towards him, the low growl of a leopard rumbling from his throat.
Rudy gasped and choked on his breath and he guardedly backed away. “I… I… Ah… Who is, ah… L’Naura? I don’t know you…” “L’Naura was my mother. You killed her with your bullets. Now I shall kill you with my arrows,” the boy growled. “But… but… I… I don’t know your mother! I…” he pleaded. Then just as suddenly his demeanor changed again. His glassy eyes hardened, his face twisted, and a contemptuous sneer formed on his lips while his hand crept slowly towards his revolver. Rudy Pawn was taking the big gamble. Ten years had passed since Kazar, presumably, the only survivor of a fatal plane crash that claimed the life of his parents and the pilot, was last seen by any of his relatives. |
The boy’s father, Gordon Edwards, had also survived and after some time he contacted his brother, David, but swore him to secrecy about his survival while he continued a seemingly futile search for his son whose body was not found in the wreckage when he regained consciousness.
Todd, Terri, Preston, and their parents, travel to Africa’s Ungati Territory to spend their summer vacation with their cousin Kazar and his adopted brother Natu, of the legendary Wazi tribe. And what a vacation it turned out to be! A fight with Mumbles the lion, brazen poachers seeking diamonds, the death of L’Naura, Kazar’s foster mother, Todd’s transformation into a deadly Wazi Warrior, and the birth of an heir to the Wazi throne, all intertwine in this emotionally charged, fast-paced adventure laced with drama, humor, tragedy, and bloody revenge as the Edwards family embrace the reality of a world far different from their own.
Todd, Terri, Preston, and their parents, travel to Africa’s Ungati Territory to spend their summer vacation with their cousin Kazar and his adopted brother Natu, of the legendary Wazi tribe. And what a vacation it turned out to be! A fight with Mumbles the lion, brazen poachers seeking diamonds, the death of L’Naura, Kazar’s foster mother, Todd’s transformation into a deadly Wazi Warrior, and the birth of an heir to the Wazi throne, all intertwine in this emotionally charged, fast-paced adventure laced with drama, humor, tragedy, and bloody revenge as the Edwards family embrace the reality of a world far different from their own.
Mike Johnson's Short Story Collections!
Wolf packs, charging bulls, cougar attacks, snapping turtles, and more!
I WROTE’EM IN SCHOOL
I WROTE’EM IN SCHOOL
And that he did! In the classroom and during detention! Some of his earliest short stories are presented here, both fiction and non-fiction, as they were written in nearly a dozen spiral notebooks, which he still has to this day, containing the works of a highly imaginative young boy who was inspired by the great outdoors and the adventurers who explored it. Frank “Bring’em Back Alive” Buck (live animal trapped) Jim Corbett (famous tracker of Indian man-eating tigers and leopards) Ernest Thomas Seton (trapped the notorious Wolf, Lobo of the Currumpaw) Sasha Siemel (famous South American Jaguar Hunter) and writers Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book) and Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan of the Apes) provided a basic springboard for some of his early tales.
What started out in the sixth grade back in 1957, at St. Peter’s Catholic Elementary School would pave the way to these 16 exciting stories written between 1962 and 1965 while Mike Johnson was a student at Mackin Catholic High School. |
A bison bull past his prime surrounded by a pack of wolves in “The Old Buffalo,” a man with-no-name western “Just Passin' Through,” “She Loves Him” in a romantic caveman comedy, and his first novella, “The Butcher” a notorious Timber Wolf ravages the countryside. Tucked among them are two true stories, “A Few Hours at the Lake” where Mike is surrounded by water snakes and “A Turtle Named Osgood” the famous snapping turtle resident in the swimming lake at Camp Goodwill, where Mike worked as a teenager during the summer.
A Bonus Section displays photos of those spiral notebooks in which the original versions were written and illustrated, along with publisher rejection letters. Drawings and caricatures of his high schoolmates and teachers, photos of some of his camping days and more, provide glimpses of a young Mike Johnson, who was always ready for an adventure!
A Bonus Section displays photos of those spiral notebooks in which the original versions were written and illustrated, along with publisher rejection letters. Drawings and caricatures of his high schoolmates and teachers, photos of some of his camping days and more, provide glimpses of a young Mike Johnson, who was always ready for an adventure!
A black bear encounter, boar hunting in the Philippines, a motorcycle accident, and early family life!
"Close Encounter of a Bear Kind and Other Stories"
"Close Encounter of a Bear Kind and Other Stories"
This is Mike’s second short-story collection and it delivers a mixture adventures and emotions and some insight into his early family life through two stories. “About My Mom” which would later be part of a music biography requested by the Recorded Sound Reference Center at the Library of Congress while they were making preparations to acquire 114 of his yodeling songs for their music research department.
“In the Trash Can” Mike defies his grandmother but gets it from the rest of the family. “My Dad Was a Quiet Man” also shows that disrespect was not tolerated and swiftly dealt with in his family. “Close Encounter of a Bear Kind” follows a group of advanced campers from St. Peter’s boy scout troop who have a somewhat amusing but potentially dangerous encounter with a persistent black bear who tried to enter their cabin one night and then catches them out in the open the next day. “A Special Trip” recounts a spear hunting trip for wild boar in the San Miguel Mountains while on Navy R&R in the Philippines, while “The Black Angus Bull” pins Mike against the barn wall at Ivakota Farm in Clifton Virginia, after he flings a reckless camper from its path. |
“A Day at Doncaster” in southern Maryland recounts a bow hunting trip where an unproductive morning lulls him into a nap from which he is suddenly awakened by a deer. Before he can gather his wits and notch an arrow, the buck melts into the underbrush. His attempt to follow it is interrupted when he spots a pack of wild dogs moving through the area and this prompts him to call it a day. “That Can Be Replaced” involves feelings of guilt after a swerving car causes Mike’s ward to lay the bike down. The Epilogue at the end includes photographs and drawings, and most notably, a photo of Mike’s mom as she says a final goodbye to her house following surgery that removed two of three brain tumors. The remaining unreachable tumor would eventually claim her life in 2004.
Nightmare in the Tijuana Jail! Horseback adventures in the Philippine jungles!
"El Latigo, a Little Known Legend of the Tijuana Jail and Other Stories"
"El Latigo, a Little Known Legend of the Tijuana Jail and Other Stories"
Mike Johnson was born in 1946 with a love of the outdoors. He began writing and illustrating short stories in grade school and was writing novels by the time he reached high school. Following his graduation in June 1965 he joined the US Navy in the Fall of that year. After Boot Camp at Great Lakes and A-School in Bainbridge, he served on the USS Constellation CVA-64 from February 1967 to February 1969 which included two Vietnam tours. Three of the eight stories in this collection recount some of his actual Navy experiences.
In this third short-story collection the 40-page “El Latigo” starts out with an innocent fishing trip along the Baja California coastline that turns into a nightmare weekend in the notorious Tijuana Jail after raising hell in a local bar. “Pledge of Life” occurs on a ground squirrel hunting trip near Mount Palomar, where Mike and Mac witness a King Snake attacking a Rattlesnake and express their concerns about their first Vietnam tour. |
The last story “Subic Bay Broncs” nearly as long as El Latigo, and divided into four chapters, recounts some of Mike’s horseback adventures in the jungle foothills surrounding the Subic Bay Naval Air Station in the Philippines. “Camping,” “Robin” and “A Very Good Day” provide additional reflections while “Coup” the shortest of shorts about a Comanche horse thief, and “In the Face of Death” about an intense encounter with a Bengal Tiger, sprang from Mike’s imagination.
Though yodeling got him noticed and trucking put him on the music map, Mike did not forsake his passion for drawing pictures and writing stories. With more than a dozen published works (stories and songbooks) he’s still proof-reading, formatting finished works, and allotting periodic time to completing his unfinished stories. Originally published by PublishAmerica in 2006, Mike waited for their contract to expire so that he could publish this as he had intended with the drawings and photographs that they had deliberately omitted from his original manuscript.
Though yodeling got him noticed and trucking put him on the music map, Mike did not forsake his passion for drawing pictures and writing stories. With more than a dozen published works (stories and songbooks) he’s still proof-reading, formatting finished works, and allotting periodic time to completing his unfinished stories. Originally published by PublishAmerica in 2006, Mike waited for their contract to expire so that he could publish this as he had intended with the drawings and photographs that they had deliberately omitted from his original manuscript.
Biography and Anthology...
"Mike Johnson, the Official Short Version" is the first detailed biography of Mike's music and his early family life, the latter of which was almost never mentioned in numerous articles about him.
Chocked with numerous photos and his discography at the time, this was done at the request of the Recorded Sound Reference Center in the Library of Congress, around December 2005, while they were preparing to acquire 114 of his yodeling songs for their permanent music research & listening collection.
Published in 2006, the Reference Center received the 1st copy as well as a Mike Johnson Yodel Archives, a collection of 114 of Mike's yodeling songs and related music materials, and have since over the years acquired many additional releases, including song books.
Chocked with numerous photos and his discography at the time, this was done at the request of the Recorded Sound Reference Center in the Library of Congress, around December 2005, while they were preparing to acquire 114 of his yodeling songs for their permanent music research & listening collection.
Published in 2006, the Reference Center received the 1st copy as well as a Mike Johnson Yodel Archives, a collection of 114 of Mike's yodeling songs and related music materials, and have since over the years acquired many additional releases, including song books.
"I Just Wanted to Be a Songwriter, a Mike Johnson Music Anthology" is 390-page visual compilation of nearly everything from 1980 to December 2012 [except the internet] that has ever been printed, published, produced, and distributed by, and about, Mike Johnson and his music. Published in December 2012, this huge volume is loaded with images, a detail discography, radio DJ playlists, the covers of all 28 issues of his Top-Rail Chatter Independent Country Music magazine, along with two pages from each issue.
The largest part of this compilation contains 274 pages of articles, contributions, and music reviews, where you not only get to read about Mike Johnson, you also get to know scores of other country music folks sharing page space with him in most of those publications, as well as a unique view of what was happening on the Independent Country Music Circuit during that period because each publication page is identified by the publication’s name, date, edition, and city of origin.
This is must-have for serious music collectors of the works of Independent Country Music singer-songwriters and a fine testament to the fact that you don’t have to be a major label star to be an active contributor to the Country Music World. This publication also coincided with the December 2012 publication of Netherland's author Bart Plantenga's "Yodel In HiFi" his second detailed study of the world-wide history of yodeling, in which Mike Johnson is also profiled.
A PDF version of "I Just Wanted to be a Songwriter" is also available on DVD.
The largest part of this compilation contains 274 pages of articles, contributions, and music reviews, where you not only get to read about Mike Johnson, you also get to know scores of other country music folks sharing page space with him in most of those publications, as well as a unique view of what was happening on the Independent Country Music Circuit during that period because each publication page is identified by the publication’s name, date, edition, and city of origin.
This is must-have for serious music collectors of the works of Independent Country Music singer-songwriters and a fine testament to the fact that you don’t have to be a major label star to be an active contributor to the Country Music World. This publication also coincided with the December 2012 publication of Netherland's author Bart Plantenga's "Yodel In HiFi" his second detailed study of the world-wide history of yodeling, in which Mike Johnson is also profiled.
A PDF version of "I Just Wanted to be a Songwriter" is also available on DVD.
Y'all come back, ya hear!