Biography

In their twelve years together, Tonic Sol-fa has established itself not only as the most in-demand vocal group in the Midwest, but also one of the most successful independent acts in America. In addition to substantial CD sales of its own independent releases (2,000,000 copies sold), the group has toured extensively throughout the US and abroad, building their financial base with a steady list of festivals and private shows that eventually led to numerous sold-out tours of theaters and small arenas.

Tonic Sol-fa began at St. John’s University with Mark McGowan, who sings baritone, and lead vocalist Shaun Johnson, while both were attending in the mid 1990s.  Shortly after forming, the two auditioned for a local entertainment agency, which helped jump-start the group’s performance and appearance schedule. Tenor, Greg Bannwarth, and bass, Jared Dove, joined soon after, completing the quartet.  Together the group reached national prominence with appearances on NBC’s Today Show and in Newsweek magazine. Along the way, they shared the stage with a number of recognizable performers including Jay Leno, Jeff Foxworthy and Lonestar, and were recently part of Garrison Keillor’s 30th Anniversary celebration of A Prairie Home Companion.

From the group’s onset, the four members have overseen and operated the business of Tonic Sol-fa with a only a small team of driven supporters acting as managers, lawyers, and publicists, and increased revenue from a few thousand dollars in their first year to a multi-million dollar limited liability company by 2007. The group had to overcome a number of obstacles, including an unspoken apprehension to a cappella acts by individuals in the music industry and having a name that was anything but catchy (a system of naming the notes of the scale, usually do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, developed to teach singing). Still, the group persevered, recording and manufacturing its own records and selling them to a growing legion of fans via the Internet and social networking sites, in the lobby of the theaters where they performed, and through a growing national distribution.  One could say they gained their current consumer popularity the old fashioned way; they earned it.