Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Johnny Black of Ahwatukee

Johnny Black shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Johnny, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
A Belgian Malinois Shepherd named Blackie Bruno Sparky Junior Foxxy D. Dogg (The Doggonaut) is awaiting for me to stop brushing my teeth, fuss with my notoriously long, messy hair, slip on my jogging gear and shoes and bolt out into the new day on our morning rounds through our Ahwatukee neighborhood. I avoid the tel/comms/news/biz until after we get home and I water and feed him after the trot. Then a cup of coffee for me and pop on the head monitors and fire up any essential electronics. I’m a voracious reader alwsys trying to avoid going down the rabbit holes! So I try to discipline myself by first scanning deep music business media industry headlines; sizzling correspondence; charts; mentions; deals thank yous /kind replies . Then I turn to music production. . Most of the time, I’m writing for the publisher, so I’m on some sort of media project or synchronization pitch schedule. I’ll be composing, recording/tracking and mixing. It is great a great sense of accomplishment to cobble together a full, custom, personal recording studio and release a full length album right out on a major influential label. Well, is great until the BBQ sauce from the pool patio grill somehow makes it onto some favorite gear! Heh heh.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
The music licensing and synchronization recording industry is pretty much a mystery to most lay persons let alone artists and many musicians. I started my journey in the music publishing and synchronization industry in 1999 when one of my early electro tracks was signed to a New York City media provider and licensed. Voila! Professional income! Kind of. (I’ll explain all that later.)

Most folks identify me as Johnny Black or Ash Black or Transoniq Johnny. As a prolific, multigenre, recording artist, the music I produce is listed under several different nom de plume for the various projects and publishers I write. Consequently, my EDM catalogue is under the Transoniq Johnny moniker and the hard rock/unique soundtrack works appear under Johnny Black or Ash Black depending on personnel and content. Being a multigenre artist has significant advantages and benefits for a rising talent. Like playing darts, one can take more than a single shot at success. And sometimes those darts land in some auspicious places like large media synchronization publishers such as EA/Expressive Artists.

Last year, based on the strength of my electronic trip-hop track “Planet Son” by Eddie Caldwell’s rave “dopefly” review comment about the instrumental, my electronica entity, Transoniq Johnny, was signed to influential label and publisher Music Of The Sea. The label CEO, Eddie Caldwell, (See also: Mathew Knowles World Music Entertainment / Beyoncé) who signed Johnny directly, is the music co-producer and co-supervisor for such A-list joints like the Quentin Tarantino film ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. Eddie’s musical genius and guidance has crafted scores of major film and network productions. Eddie and Dr. Knowles have a clear, compelling vision for my artistic future and it is all unfolding rather rapidly and fun!

On the other side of the popular music spectrum, my hard rock music and unique soundtrack repertoire started to gel. I made a concerted effort to form collaborative studio recording projects and a touring band between 2015-2023. The demand for original, well-arranged music drew me more and more to simply writing and composing- all but nearly leaving stagecraft and touring behind to my surprise! From the heat and intensity of this hard-scrapping, but headlining 🤩 original music band forge, the label also signed all of the Ash Black Desert Fried Hard Rock and Unique soundtrack catalogue. An artist production arrangement is established.

Imminent plans are to release PLANET SON ((TJ) /THE HILLS (THE WEEKEND) CLUB REMIX on the Music Of The Sea label for a worldwide dance floor banger.

Outrageous rumors of a Grammy Award Nomination from the label have just been floating within the Chicago, LA and Phoenix offices. So mot it be! (Shushing)

Earlier in July 2025, at the urging of both label CEO Eddie Caldwell and legendary Phoenix resident Alice Cooper, I entered the America’s Top Hitmakers / Global Citizen Benefit Contest and placed #5 Nationally in the very first competition of that high-calibre intensity that I have ever participated in my professional recording career as a composer and performer. Serendipity? You bet. Good songwriting? Indeed. Exciting times? Hell yeah!

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Without too much fanfare, a corporate executive. The enormous General Electric manufacturing companies and financial service / insurance companies of the world have changed dramatically over the past decade. I haven’t looked back.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Patience. Humility. Control.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
The types of people that I admire for their character are those who make me laugh. I used to watch Johnny Carson with my Grandfather when I was a young boy and I loved to see comedians and stars like Jonathan Winters come on and not only would he be hysterically and childishly funny, but also kind if serious at the same time in a wild way that made everyone uncomfortable and THINK. Gently. (Not rudely going blue or Fbombing through a set. Genius. I hope the audience understands what I mean. Robin Williams had that wonderful quality too. Ephemeral Genius. That’s character transformed to another level. Musicians can hide behind pianos!

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If immortality were real, what would you build?
A Belgian Malinois GSD Sanctuary

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ashblack7777
• Facebook: Johnny Black
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/o9yv_SvMWgA?si=eFJXRLx_nrYWqW-Z
• Other: https://www.broadjam.com/ashblack