The success of duo Johnnyswim has come gradually and organically. Abner Ramirez, a multi-instrumentalist who attended the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Florida, first met singer Amanda Sudano, onetime back-up singer for her mother (the late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame vocalist Donna Summer), at church in the early 2000s. Ramirez was smitten, but Sudano blew him off. It wasn’t until four years later that the pair reconnected and started writing songs together (the chemistry wasn’t just creative; the twosome eventually married).
Working under the name Johnnyswim (the duo has given multiple sources for the name, so it’s unclear where it actually originated), Sudano and Ramirez created a sound that blended some of their prime influences, coming up with a super-accessible hybrid of Pop, Folk, Rock and R&B. Johnnyswim eventually moved from Nashville to Los Angeles and self-released three EPs, helping them become a popular concert draw. By the time the duo released the 2012 EP Home, Vol. 1, they were being featured on The Today Show and A Prairie Home Companion and grabbing the attention of the music industry. Read more about Johnnyswim in this week’s Sound Advice.
Johnnyswim plays Coney Island’s Moonlite Gardens 8 p.m. Friday. $25. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, coneyislandpark.com.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2015.
