Fariduddin (Fred) Johnson is a healer, artist, and educator dedicated to the journey of creating spaces and experiences that express our respect for and support of honoring life and all living entities. He is an Inayati Sufi Order Reverend Cherag, sacred chanter, sound-healer storyteller, melodic narrative master teacher, director, and author.
The fact that he has opened for both Aretha Franklin and Dr. Deepak Chopra points to his versatility as an artist and healer. An acclaimed jazz vocalist, sacred chanter, storyteller, author, and arts educator, Fred is a graduate of the National Academy of the Performing Arts as well as the Master Performers School of the National Mime Theater. He has opened for or recorded and toured worldwide with jazz and R&B legends Ramsey Lewis, Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, Christian McBride, Richard Elliot, George Benson, Boney James, Joe Zawinul, Ottmar Liebert, David Sanborn, B.B. King, Patti LaBelle, Herbie Mann, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderley, and Miles Davis.
He is recognized globally for his work in the health and wellness community as well as for his extensive work in international Interfaith peace and reconciliation. He served as Deputy Executive Director of Intersections International, a multi-faith, multicultural initiative of The Collegiate Church of New York for 10 years. and led their international outreach.
Since the mid-1980s, Fred has worked in communities throughout the world, empowering children and adults in creative ways to celebrate the richness of who they are, to dream big, lift their voices, and come together to work toward making the experience of living culturally rich, inclusive, and inspiring.
His presentations on the healing power of music have caught the attention of internationally recognized holistic health practitioners and the medical community. Fred presents lectures and seminars re-accentuating the importance of creative expression and the sharing of story as catalysts for personal and communal empowerment, health, and healing, and giving voice to the voiceless. He is a leading voice in the national conversation regarding Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access, and chairs committees for the International Transformational Leadership Council, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida, and the Stella Adler Center for the Arts in both New York and Los Angeles.
Mentored by spiritual masters of the African oral and percussion legacy, Fred has been hailed as one of the true guardians of an oral tradition transplanted and nurtured to create a fusion of cultural heritage that is uniquely American and inherently African. His global presentations of “Jazz, its Roots and Branches” have served to inform and inspire audiences around the world to recognize and celebrate a creative global tapestry set by the first woven thread sewn from the artistic richness of Africa.
His sound healing seminars and retreats teach from the rich African healing traditions aligned with sacred and meditative Sufic practices. Fred currently serves as Artist in Residence, Community Engagement/Diversity, and Equity Specialist, and coordinates the Arts and Health initiative at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.
