Reader Spotlight: Johnnie Castro

Johnnie Castro

Meet Johnnie Castro, a bassist who has overcome a lot in life, but has broken through to do some amazing work with music.

Johnnie is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story…

Bio:

I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I went through a tumultuous time following the death of my parents. My mother passed away when he was five, and then his father passed a mere two years later. I credit my brother Arturo J. Castro with altering the course of my life when he convinced me to relocate to Maryland.

It took years of drawing closer to God, seeking guidance and understanding before I became clear about my purpose. I dabbled with the keyboard and lead guitar until I found my true passion, the bass guitar. After a few years of playing and studying, I became a highly celebrated bass player, which allowed me to achieve tremendous success in touring the country and dazzling audiences worldwide with my skill.

I played all different kinds of basses, but it wasn’t until my conversation about the right pickups to match my desired tone with my Bass Tech Randy Kilpatrick… was where I fell in love with Bartolini!

I am an accomplished producer. I have done production for a movie soundtrack and albums for numerous artists. With those opportunities, it opened doors for me to be able to play for artists such as Lahla-Hadiya, Jonathan Butler, James Lanier, and Bishop Paul S. Morton.

Above all, I am a devoted husband and father of six who credits my musical success to God.

My favorite quote is: “Never let the devil mess up the day God prepared for you!”

Location:

Temple Hills, Maryland

Years experience:

18 years

Why I play the bass:

I was playing Aux Keys at my church when we needed a bass player. I decided to pick up a bass and learn. I Instantly fell in love with playing bass, and never looked back.

Gear:

  • Basses: Bassmods
  • Pickups & PreAmps: Bartolini’s (I am a signed Artist )
  • Amp Head: Aguliar
  • Bass cabinets: Aguliar 4×10 / 2×12

My Influences:

Jaco, Victor Wooten, Wayman Tinsdale, Gary Grainger

My bass superpower/claim to fame:

Versatile… I practice and will play anything. Music has no limits nor boundaries.

More on the web:

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Share your thoughts

  1. Rob Wagener

    “dazzling audiences worldwide with my skill”….lol….humble much?