Johnson worked in the music industry from 1968 to 1989 as a successful recording engineer, record producer, and song publisher. He has recorded and/or produced such artists as Clarence Carter, The Commodores, Arthur Conley, George Jones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, Percy Sledge and The Supremes, to name a few. He acquired the Quinvy Recording Studio, located Sheffield, Alabama, and renamed it to Broadway Sound Studios in 1973.

Johnson left active service in the industry to serve as the Executive Director for the Alabama Music Hall of Fame from 1989-2010, where he produced numerous successful annual concerts and 10 Induction Banquets and Awards Shows.