Who is Johnny V?

Look to the left and you will see that my name is John Stevens. If this is so, who is this Johnny V? A few have been asking.

A few years ago, my high school graduating year had its first-ever reunion. We had no idea how many were going to show up. Thus, when it came to budgeting, we didn’t know how much to allocate for a DJ.

At that time, I worked for CJCS radio in Stratford. It is a golden oldies station, so it had all of the hits from our era. I told the group that I could get the music for free. When it came time to find a DJ, all eyes turned to me. What! Me? I had never been a DJ before, but I did seem to be the logical choice. I said yes.

For a DJ, John Stevens doesn’t sound very hip, so I created my alter-ego, Johnny V, and the rest is history. Why Johnny V? My middle name is Victor, but that only half the story.

My alter-ego Johnny V is really Gianni Valopolous. He was a poor shepherd boy who came to Canada from Greece at an early age. He soon mastered the English language by listening to and memorizing the words to that crazy phenomenon called rock and roll.

As time went on, he got into the music scene and was very influential in the industry. He had the knack for promotion, but, being shy, he preferred to work in the background.

In the early 60s, an English group got a new drummer. They were going to name him Bingo, since the game is very popular there. Johnny V convinced them that Ringo sounded better and the Beatles went on to international acclaim.

Johnny V is very popular with the girls. One named Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie claimed that she would rather have one night with Johnny V than all of the other men who have been in her life. Johnny V has very strong morals. He told her that he wanted a girl who was like a virgin.

There are countless stories that are still in the vaults of Johnny V – the JohnnyMania in the early 60s, how Johnny put Woodstock together, his influence on Motown, how Elvis called him the King – it just goes on and on.

There has been a swell of support in recent years to get him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Johnny V has opposed all such movements. He insists that he didn’t do any of his work for fame, but for his love of music.

Look on the internet and blogs and you will find many Johnny Vs who are DJs or connected to music. As they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery, but there will only be one true Johnny V.

Johnny V is available as a DJ for charity work. Unfortunately, people would rather pay high fees for impostors rather than engage for free the shy Greek boy who made good.