Johnny Gidley

Johnny Gidley, a farm boy from Salado, Texas, grew up listening to the music of the 60’s and in particular, The Beatles. He formed his first band, Johnny & The Silvertones, in 1964 with fellow high school classmates Berry Evans, Tom Brown and Harold Mersiovsky. The group fast became one of the most popular groups in Central Texas releasing their first single “Got No Love’ in 1966 under the tutelage of Joe Treadway on TSM Records. And then Johnny was off to the U.S. Navy in 1967 to serve on the U.S.S. Cabildo but upon his return rejoined the group in 1969. The group had been renamed The Buccaneers by then and was being managed and booked by J.E. Brown, the bass players father. After a seven-month stint as the house band at the old S & S Club in Temple, Texas the group disbanded but later regrouped with only the bass player Tom Brown as an original member.

Johnny began a solo career in 1971 playing a variety of venues throughout central Texas. He became the managing editor of his hometown newspaper The Salado Village Voice in 1980 and wrote a weekly column called From The Prairie Land in which many of his lyrics and poems were published. Throughout the years he continued to write songs and perform in local clubs, restaurants and special events. After a very painful breakup of his family in 1985 he was lead to contemporary Christian music and began writing worship music. He lead praise and worship services for the singles class at First Baptist Church in Belton, Texas and released his first cassette tape Joy & Tears in 1988 and then his next one entitled ALL in 1991. In 2005 Johnny re-released ALL as a CD entitled A Life of Endurance adding two new songs to the mix ‘Love Me Back’ and the title track ‘A Life of Endurance.’ Later that year he released on CD 'The Songs of Edgar Allan Poe' which he had written over a period of about ten years between 1972 and 1982.

He continues to push forward with his music. His next CD project "UNPOLISHED' is a collection of his songs written over the years in both rock & roll and country styles which will not be studio recordings but rather the raw demo tapes as he created them at the time. Most notable titles include ‘The Graveyard of Pop Rock & Roll’, “The Brazos River Café’, and “They Won’t Play My Record.’ Production has begun but a release date has not been set.