Taken off Housequake.com by Papaj

Shelby Johnson will be landing a gig with Prince at the XLI Super Bowl. The gig is a dream come true. It's hard for singer Shelby Johnson to sleep these days. During the past few weeks, her day to day has consisted of wardrobe fittings, workouts at the gym, hair appointments, daily rehearsals and nightly live performances. It's a demanding schedule, but a dream that Johnson has been waiting for all her life...

"I'm just so excited," she said during a phone interview from Las Vegas, where she just finished her workout at the gym. "It's gonna be really busy, but it's all good stuff. It's a lot, but it's nothing I can't handle."

The 34-year-old Greensboro native isn't preparing for just any old gig. This is the Super Bowl Halftime Show, baby, and come Feb. 4, there's no way you'll miss Johnson singing on stage with '80s pop icon Prince. Just look for her smile.

"I'll be the girl that has 89 teeth showing and a hat — I always wear a hat; it's my trademark," she said "I'll be there right next to him."

A 1990 graduate of Smith High School, Johnson has sung back-up for artists including D'Angelo, Anthony Hamilton and most recently Larry Graham and his band Graham Central Station, at Prince's club, 3121, in Las Vegas. It was at that mid-December show last year that Prince discovered her.

"I look over," Johnson recalls about that night, "And Prince is coming on stage to sit in with us. And he jumps on my mic, and we're cheek to cheek. I was like, this is unreal. I was having 'Purple Rain' flashbacks."

That performance landed her her first gig with Prince: a three-day New Year's Eve bash in Las Vegas.

"I felt like I was floating in the Milky Way," she says laughing. "It was just the most unbelievable feeling.

"I wanted to perform with Prince since 'Purple Rain.' I could have never dreamed that I would be standing next to Prince and he's looking over at me saying, 'Sing for the people.' And that I'd be harmonizing with him on 'Purple Rain."

That dream got even better once Johnson flew back to Greensboro after New Year's and she got this call:

"I got this message from his (Prince's) people, it said: 'Shelby Johnson, you're going to the Super Bowl,'" she said. "I saved the message.

"It's just the best thing ever. It's sunshine and rainbows and Skittles, all the tokens that you can play at Celebration Station … This is like that. It's like getting a brand-new bike on Christmas and it's sunny outside and you can ride it."

Johnson got her start singing in her mother's church choir at St. James Gospel Church with her sisters. But it wasn't until she was at Appalachian State singing with the university choir that it finally hit her that this is what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

"We did a tour with the choir, and everywhere we went we made all these different friends. I was like, 'This is great,'" she said. "I called my mom and dad… this is what I want to do forever. I never had to worry about them saying we won't support you."

So Johnson moved back into her parents' house in Greensboro and hit the open-mike circuit, where she made connections with musicians who hooked her up with a variety of paying gigs, including singing seven nights a week on a cruise ship at age 19.

Throughout her career, Johnson always seemed to meet the right people at the right time -- people who were willing to help her make a name for herself. But her dynamic voice, self-confidence and determination led her to where she is now.

"I was always somewhat of a leader, walking to the own beat of my Shelby drum," she says. "So what if they look at me crazy? I love me."

Yet, all the glamour and glitz hasn't gone to her head. She says that she's still "the same Shelby as I am in Greensboro." In fact, she's hoping to give up her New York City apartment for a house in Greensboro to be close to her family. It's where she's most happy, and what's most important in her life. "Family comes first," she says.

"I love Greensboro and I love my family," she said. "It's a big part of the person that I am. I'm a Greensboro girl."

For right now, she's just enjoying the ride and trying to live in the moment. And although she has goals, they're simple ones. She doesn't need much to make her happy. "My ultimate goal, I want to be really happy every day… I want to reach billions of people with my music. I want to make music that uplifts people and makes them smile, because that makes me happy.

"I know that is why God put me here. Just keep singing and keep making people happy. In doing that, that keeps me happy every day. I'm floatin'."

Here are a few quirky things we learned about Shelby:

Before a performance, she creates a soothing environment with soft music. "I call it my peace and tranquility music. It's songs of the ocean. I light candles and I drink my throat coat, a concoction I mix with honey, and I sit there and I am completely quiet for hours."

What's Prince really like? "He's really kind. He's just a wonderful person. He's first-rate all the way. He's just all about the music. He's really serious when it comes to music. He inspires me to be better. He just brings it out of you."

How she maintains balance in her life: "I crochet. I make some really funky blankets. They're like four different colors. I'm like the Picasso of yarn. It's so soothing."

Her workout routine: "We're going to be rehearsing the show this week and next week. I'm hitting the gym so I'll be physically prepared. I do about an hour and a half of cardio between the treadmill and the elliptical … my own little mix of dance routines and my own little dance routine of aerobics. It goes back to my cheerleading days at Smith High School. I also do kickboxing."

What she listens to while working out: "Prince, Larry Graham ... and my favorite Prince song I listen to is 'Baby I'm a Star.' I listened to that working out before I even met him. ... My iPod Shuffle is like a jukebox. I don't care if it's country, rock, pop or jazz."

Tamar WHO?

Wow... Brother Prince is bringing some "Soul to the Superbowl"
Can't wait to see the performance...Marching 100 and Shelby...very cool indeed!
I haven't seen her perform yet, but from what some friends told me who did, they say she has a dynamic voice. As a matter of fact, I love her song "My Family" that's playing on her myspace page..very sentimental, brings tears to my eyes.
[Edited 1/26/07 9:30am]

db post
[Edited 1/26/07 9:30am]

Already posted http://www.prince.org/msg/12/214337