Johnson was born in Colorado in 1939. He received his B. A. and Master of Music degrees from
Yale University, and also studied with Morton Feldman. Composer, performer and writer, is perhaps best known for his operas, particularly The Four Note Opera, which was premiered in New York City in 1972 and which has been produced over 60 times in at least nine different languages. Non-operatic works that have received particular attention over the years include his solo performance Nine Bells, the often played Failing: A Difficult piece for Solo String Bass, and theatrical pieces such as the Scene for Piano and Tape. From 1972 to 1982 Johnson was the new-music critic for the Village Voice. Johnson's weekly columns covered the emergence and development of minimal music in New York City. A large collection of his articles from theat period was published in 1989 by Apollohuis in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, under the title The Voice of New Music Though traveling frequently, his residence since 1983 has been in Paris. “The world is easier to understand,” he says, “when viewed from about halfway between Moscow and Washington.” (Notes from Lovely Music, Ltd.)