Q&A with Singer/Songwriter Johnny Schaefer

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Johnny Schaefer

Johnny Schaefer is an Award-Winning Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter. He has sung backup for Melissa Manchester, Josh Groban, Sarah Vaughan, Sarah Brightman and many more. His duet with Melissa Manchester called “You Can’t Hide the Light” won the 2021 UK Songwriting Contest/Music Aid International Award for Best Original Song. His song “When It’s Your Kid” deals with the topics of teen suicide due to homophobia and school shootings. If you have not heard of Johnny, go check out his music!

KB: Did you always want to be a singer/musician growing up?

I did. My mother always told me that she and my dad sang to me as an infant and the first they ever heard me do is sing. I wrote my first song when I was four, and I used to tell everyone that I was a singer-songwriter. The cover of my first album is a photo my grandmother took of me at age four with a toy guitar. I would lay on my bedroom floor for many hours listening to records on the little player my parents bought me, and I read all the credits. Often in the evening instead of watching TV my parents and I would stand around the piano and sing. My Dad was a Lutheran minister and my mom said I could sing the whole liturgy by age four from memory. I sang my first solo in church when I was four. I was in every music group I could get into through school and got a degree in voice and composition from Cal State University, Fullerton. Although I took a long detour into the corporate world, this is what I have always thought I was put on the planet to do.

KB: Who were your idols growing up?

I loved the Disney musicals and musicals in general. My parents took me to see “Oliver” at a local high school when I was five and it was all over. I liked a lot of the child stars who sang, because I wanted to be them. I was a huge “Partridge Family” fan. I can still remember relating to the joy on David Cassidy’s face when he sang. As I grew into my teens, the artist I listened to on my bedroom floor most is Grammy® Award-winner Melissa Manchester. I was a closeted gay kid in the small, conservative town of Porterville, CA in the 70s. The only gay character on TV was Billy Crystal on Soap. Anita Bryant was crusading around the country drumming up hatred for gay people. Melissa’s music broke through my loneliness and helped me feel loved, accepted, and nurtured. I used to write songs and send them to her on cassette hoping she would sing one, little did I know it would finally come true decades later.

KB: Do you remember your first time performing in front of a Live audience?

When I was four, I was the Little Drummer Boy in a church Christmas pageant and sang the famous song as I marched up the aisle of our church with a drum. People still tell me they remember it. People didn’t normally clap in the middle of the pageant, but they broke out in applause after I sang. It was such a rush and it felt like it was what I was supposed to be doing.

KB: What is the song “When It’s Your Kid” about and why did you write it? How do you relate to it?

As a 62-year-old man I scroll through TikTok and Instagram and see the posts of young people who are legitimately distraught over the world we are leaving them. It’s not one thing. It’s school shootings and active shooter drills, it’s book bans, it’s oppression of LGBTQ+ identity, it’s climate change. All of it. As a songwriter, I thought, “This needs a song.” I started from personal experience. I was bullied mercilessly in Jr High for being gay, even though I had not come out and was fighting it in myself. Kids picked up on it. I had been raised that suicide was the worst thing a person could do, and so I prayed that I would die in a car accident or get cancer. I was sure that God wanted me dead because of the attraction to my own gender that I could not suppress or change. And I assumed my dad would condemn me, so when we finally talked about it, I was profoundly relieved to hear him say, “I love you, God loves you, it doesn’t make any difference. I just want you to be happy.” While I wish we had that conversation much earlier, at least we had it. Far too many kids aren’t that lucky.

I remembered one of those kids as I wrote my song. I knew of a boy whose family knew that he was gay and were prepared to love him but thought it best to let him come out when he was ready. So, they stayed silent on a Sunday when their preacher rallied against homosexuality for 20 minutes. The boy went home and took his own life. I tell that story in the song and then ask the listeners to put themselves in the shoes of the parents. In the second verse I tell the story of a school shooting, because kids are incredulous about the fact that we aren’t doing anything about it. Again, I ask the listeners to imagine being one of the parents listening to a list of victims, praying that their child isn’t on it. My hope is that these stories and questions will prompt reflection and dialogue. I finish with a nod to the issue of climate change, because that is the quintessential issue for many kids. Will there be a planet for them to inhabit?

The polarization around some of these issues in America involves demonizing and dehumanizing “others” and things have really escalated. I tried to find a way to sneak past barriers and appeal to the love and empathy I know are still there with “When It’s Your Kid.”

KB: What is the Trevor Project and how did you work together?

The Trevor Project provides 100% free and Secure crisis counseling for LGBTQ+ youth 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the US by dialing 1-866-488-7386 or by texting START to 678-678. They are a lifeline to kids who have an extra layer of vulnerability since they are often ostracized by their families, churches, and communities. I was cognizant of the fact that my song and music video might be a trigger for some, and I wanted to provide information on the Trevor Project in case someone needed it, I reached out and they gave me their logo and information to include in the video. September is Suicide Prevention Month, and I am participating in their 26 Miles to Save Lives Facebook Fundraiser. As I walk, I am making little videos and including a bit of the song.

KB: How was it working with Melissa Manchester over the years?

My story with her is like a fairy tale, really. I’ve shared that I used to send her songs. At one point I was Chairman of the Patrons of the Performing Arts at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, and we brought Melissa in to sing a concert in the new Performing Arts Center at the time. I got to know her manager, Susan Holder, who provides stellar supporting vocals on “When It’s Your Kid,” by the way, and my husband Paco Silva started making music videos for her. I was one of the winners in a cover contest she had, and the prize was to sing live with her on stage. I got to sing “Whenever I Call You Friend” with her, which she wrote with Kenny Loggins. There’s a cool YouTube video of that moment. When she recently re-recorded that song, she brought me in as Associate Producer. The studio is my happy place, so it was magical, especially since that is one of the songs, I used to lay on my bedroom floor listening to. Kenny ended up singing on the track with her, and Dave Koz played sax. How cool is that?

Being in the studio with Melissa is even better than I dreamed it would be. I sent her my song, “You Can’t Hide the Light” and asked her to record it with me as a duet. She told me that it sounded pretty complete as it was, but if I insisted, she would be happy to come to the party. And a party it was! I mentioned to her that hearing someone else sing a song I wrote was really cool and she said, “Oh, you’ll never get over that.” And since I had written and sung the song myself, her artistry really shone through every note she sang. She gave producer Stephan Oberhoff and me four or five passes that were absolutely terrific. She showed up to sing and create and it was one of the best days of my life. We made the music video at the Lineage Performing Arts center with modern dancers and the first two and a half minutes is one long take with the camera moving back and forth on a dolly with Melissa and me and the dancers that represent our light moving in and out of the frame. Her generosity and boundless energy shown through every moment. The song went on to win the 2021 UK Songwriting Contest/Music Aid Award for “Best Original Song.” There were 6,500 entries from 82 countries that year. The music video won the Pasadena International Film festival and Paris International Short Film Festival, as well as numerous other awards. I think people picked up on the powerful energy of collaboration of all involved.

KB: If you could make an album with 7 of your most favorite songs (not your own): What songs would you pick?

There are songs I would not touch because I cannot imagine them being done any better than the original. When I consider doing a cover, I try to see if there may be another angle, because we already have the original version, some songs that I love and have considered covering are:

“Come In From The Rain” by Melissa Manchester-It’s a perfect song which has been covered many times, and Melissa, herself, has released three studio recordings of it.

“Bonfires” by Rickie Lee Jones-Some of the most beautiful lyrics I’ve ever heard, and a heartbreaking melody.

“You Can’t Go Back Now” by The Weepies- It’s hard to choose just one of their songs, but I have some ideas for this one.

“Love is Everything” by Jane Siberry- Beautifully conveys a moment when, despite intense love for someone else, the importance of self-love overrides the desire to hang in there patiently. At some point, enough is enough. Jane’s version is wonderful, and KD Lang did a fabulous job on it as well. I think it would be cool to sing it from a gay man’s perspective.

“Not As We” by Alanis Morrissette- There’s not better song about picking up the pieces after a devastating personal loss. The music video is one of my favorites because she is sitting on a beach holding and consoling herself.

“Goodbye, Philadelphia” by Teresa Tudury- It’s hilarious, top-notch songwriting and just plain fun.

“Hold On” by Nicola Gordon- A mesmerizing song of hope and encouragement.

This was hard, though, because I can already think of several more, lol.

KB: What are you up to now?

Well, I have carpal tunnel from all the texting and emailing the past two weeks trying to get people to pay attention to “When It’s Your Kid,” so thank you for helping me spread the word. I worked with producer Geoff Levin on the song who has had an amazing career and has been mentoring me, which I really appreciate. He and Chris Vieno who, as Bolton Hill, has done several great dance tracks for me. Both use Cubase recording software and I am learning that. I’ve created two complete tracks I can use as demos. It is helping me clearly articulate the world the songs inhabit in my head to others. I’m writing like crazy and getting into the studio as much as I can afford, It’s daunting wearing all these hats, and so expensive.

But, despite the many frustrations, I am the happiest I’ve ever been.

Check out Johnny’s website: HERE

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