Johnny Crawford

Johnny comes from a family of musicians and was performing from the time he could walk. In 1955 his singing impersonation of Johnnie Ray led to a contract with Disney, where he became one of the original Mouseketeers. As an actor, Johnny has appeared in over 250 television productions, 15 movies, and 12 plays. He received an Emmy Nomination at the age of 13 for his role in the western TV series, "The Rifleman".

Signed by Del-Fi Records in 1961, Johnny had five hits in the 1960s: "Cindy's Birthday", "Rumors", "Your Nose Is Gonna Grow", "Proud", and "Patti Ann". During the same period he also had four albums in the top 40. A collection of his Del-Fi recordings from the 1960s, is available on CD (The Best of Johnny Crawford).

Johnny has long been a fan of dance records from the first half of the 20th century. After making occasional appearances during the 1980s singing songs of that period to his own guitar accompaniment, Johnny spent two years in New York (1987-1989) as the vocalist in Vince Giordano's Nighthawks Orchestra. With The Nighthawks, Johnny was seen in numerous appearances on the East Coast, including a Garrison Keillor TV Special from Radio City Music Hall, and the George Bush Inaugural Ball of 1989.

Now Johnny enjoys singing with his own dance band and producing period music for film and special events.

Since 1990 The Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra has gathered an enthusiastic following in Southern California from appearances at such venues as The Atlas Supper Club, Cicada, The Derby, Moonlight Cafe, Biltmore Hotel, and The Palace. Johnny's performances at The Hollywood Athletic Club (1997-98) garnered much attention and are even referred to in Elmor Leonard’s 1999 novel, "Be Cool" (the sequel to "Get Shorty").

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