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Purdue Glee Club member Roy Johnson, Jr., returns to NHS to perform Sunday

During his senior year of high school, Roy Johnson, Jr. spent a lot of time on the Noblesville High School auditorium stage. He was a member of the NHS Singers where he sang and danced in public shows and competitions and was the male lead in the school musical.On Sunday, Johnson will return to the auditorium stage as a college senior and member of the Purdue University Glee Club.

“It’s a tradition for a lot of guys during their senior year. It’s special to them because they get to show off what they’ve been doing in college,” he said.

The Purdue Varsity Glee Club will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium, 18111 Cumberland Rd. The show will be a fundraiser for the NHS music department, which also will perform on stage with the Glee Club.

“It’s a cool experience for both sides,” Johnson said. “I’m really looking forward to the show and seeing a lot of people there.”

Johnson began singing at church and his elementary school before becoming more involved with Noblesville Schools’ choirs in fourth through 12th grade. Following graduation, Johnson thought he would not be involved with music at college at all and would focus on his schoolwork instead.

“I was in the shooting club, fencing club but nothing was purely what I enjoyed and loved doing. I remembered how much I really enjoyed singing and performing,” he said. “My grandpa said he wanted me to join the glee club. I really missed performing.”

While rooming with some of his friends from Noblesville his sophomore year, Johnson participated in the Residence Halls Got Talent show, where his group placed third. One of the judges was a Purdue Music Organizations director who suggested Johnson try out for the glee club, which he auditioned for later that year and became a member of his junior year.

“I never thought about it. I turned a blind eye and forgot about it,” he said. “It’s a huge time commitment, but it becomes a part of you and a great part of your life. There are a lot of great experiences that come from it.”

Know more

The Purdue Varsity Glee Club will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Noblesville High School auditorium, 18111 Cumberland Rd. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. The show will be a fundraiser for the NHS competition choirs, which also will perform on stage with the Glee Club. Purdue senior and NHS graduate Roy Johnson, Jr. will be featured in the show. Tickets are $10. For more information, call 773-4146.The concert is made possible by generous donations from Gershman Brown Crowley, Inc., SMC Corporartion, and many other local and regional sponsors, including The Current.

In addition to the glee club, Johnson is part of a four-member special group – Ba Na Na, which sings ’50s and ’60s rock and roll.

“We perform during the halftime part of every show,” he said.

Johnson auditioned for the group during his second year in the glee club as a way to become more involved.

“I love that music. I grew up with it and my dad singing it,” he said. “My favorite song we sing is ‘Jump, Jive & Wail.’ It’s a lot of fun and really high energy.”

Johnson will graduate from Purdue in May. He plans to attend law school in the fall and hopes to pursue civil liberties or civil rights law.

“I haven’t decided what aspect of law. I’ve looked at international business to patent law,” he said.

One of the perks that come with the glee club is the extensive traveling it does. During spring break, the members had traveled to Tennessee, Florida and Washington, D.C., to perform. The group also has performed locally at professional sporting events in Indianapolis including Super Bowl Village last year.

“We’re heading to Europe for 14 days a few days after graduation,” Johnson said. “The glee club will be performing at Sunday Mass at the Notre Dame Cathedral. That’s something I couldn’t dream of before this.”

Johnson said the most memorable trip was to Washington, D.C., last year when the club sang “It is Well With My Soul” at the Lincoln Memorial.

“It was an extremely emotional time for all of us,” he said. “It was the perfect place for it and a great memory.”

Meet Roy Johnson, Jr.

Age: 23

Hometown: Noblesville

Birthplace: Indianapolis

Education: Graduated from Noblesville High School in 2008 and will graduate from Purdue University with a degree in political science in May. He plans to attend law school in the fall.

Hobbies: Singing, playing video games, hanging out with friends, movies, reading and shooting sports.

Favorite high school memory: The friendships made in choir and the songs they sang. Johnson said his last MayDay concert was particularly memorable since the guys in choir created a medley of songs using the names of the female choir members.

Favorite music artist: Muse

Personal motto: “The man who thinks he can” is our family poem.

Johnson credits his parents with his love of music and vocal gifts. For 20 years, Roy Johnson, Sr., performed and toured in “The Johnsons,” a group he created with his brother, Gary, and sister, Jean. “The Johnsons” began as a trio and grew into a seven-piece show band traveling across the nation and performing on USO tours.

“The band started in college and went 17 years out of school. We were doing something you totally love to do and it’s neat seeing him enjoying that same enjoyment,” the elder Johnson said. “His mother (Judi) and I are both really, really proud of him and what he’s accomplished.”

It was the senior Johnson who approached NHS Music Director Angie Resler about doing the show as a fundraiser.

“These kids have sold flowers, plants and just about everything under the sun,” he said. “We thought, ‘Why not have a concert as the primary fundraiser?’ We put together a marketing plan and the sponsors are helping make this possible and a success. Instead of $25 to $50 tickets each, we’re selling them for $10 so everyone can come watch them.”