Claudia Johnson :: Bio
Well.. I was born Claudia Marie Reinhardt in Glen Cove, New York. When Russ and I got married I added his name and called myself; Claudia Reinhardt Johnson (or CRJ) and have more or less done so ever since. However, I put my name as Claudia Johnson on the record because Claudia Reinhardt Johnson sounded like an accounting firm and public opinion strongly leaned toward Claudia Johnson.
I started singing at a very early age, thanks to my mom who is also a singer and was very insistent about learning music and studying piano and voice. I didn’t start writing until later, after some failed and disappointing attempts at co-writing. This is where it gets interesting. I Didn’t really feel much like a writer for quite a while, I didn’t really feel the pull or the self assurance to try – but Ah.. when I tried and tried and tried.. then there was no turning back and I realized that I really didn’t need anybody else, I just needed to trust my instincts and what I heard and felt going on inside. Well, a lot of paper later and a lot of "oh God, what was I thinking" later I stumbled on an approach and a process of writing openly and honestly and ridding myself of all preconceptions of what is a hit and what the songwriting rules are. What emerged was a lot of music and eventually what would become the 12 songs that make up "Indestructible". Well, it wasn’t quite that simple, just ask Matt, but… looking back I did something right because the music flowed and kept flowing. Some songs made the record, others sit in a folder and some others will end up on the next record. My "Official" bio reads a little serious, but overall covers the importance of making this record: