Events

Saturday 12/19/09  11:30am-1pm  Author Signing: Todd Johnson THE SWEET BY AND BY Todd Johnson grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, the great-grandson of a rural Baptist preacher. After graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with honors in history and receiving his master's degree from Yale Divinity School, Todd moved to New York City to pursue a career as a musician. Armed with a handful of demo reels, he made the rounds, knocking on the doors of advertising music producers. A few weeks later, he sang his first national commercial and went on to sing and arrange countless jingles for television and radio. He has also performed with a long roster of major artists, including Garth Brooks, Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, Marc Anthony, Barry Manilow, Al Jarreau, Michael Bolton, Sarah Brightman and Natalie Cole.  After singing the praises of cleaning products, cars, airlines, beverages, and even toilet paper, Todd decided to give himself to his longstanding passion for theatre. In 2006, he received a Tony Award nomination as a producer of The Color Purple on Broadway.  His 2009 novel THE SWEET BY AND BY has been called "Steel Magnolias" meets "Fried Green Tomatoes" and is a moving and poetically written story of five Southern women whose lives come together in a journey of courage, hope, and humor.