Johnny Gadeikis was introduced to the passion of music before he was 5 years old. His parents were always encouraging Johnny and saw the musical fire in his eye. At the age of 5 he was the youngest member of a Chicago youth orchestra, playing the mandolin. They toured the country and even went to Europe. At the time Johnny didn’t appreciate the endless hours of practice and rehearsals, but today applauds his parents for their support and confidence he needed to be a part of something that has forever changed his life.

As Johnny grew up he found other musical instruments to be creatively intriguing, and learning to play the piano, trumpet, and saxophone seemed quite natural. However, none of these moved his passion for music like that first time he picked up an electric guitar. Soon thereafter Johnny found a few neighborhood friends with similar interests and formed his first “real” band. He began to experiment with sound, and like all good musicians manipulated it to come as close to his musical heroes as possible. For the past 18 years Johnny has been in big bands and small ones, good ones and not so good ones, and coming full circle more than once in the different stages of his career. Just before the Hillbillies Johnny played bass for Joliet’s’ own “Stone City Stragglers”.

For now, he is all too happy to be an integral part of the Righteous Hillbillies. Walking the bass guitar around those creative musical compositions of the Hillbillies is the most fun he’s had in a long, long time. Johnny says, “ Having played with several musicians over countless years, I believe the Hillbillies are indeed one of the finest bands that I have had the privilege to play with.  As a band we have evolved into something greater than any one individual and are continuing to grow.  I am looking forward to continued success and the birth of a new album..coming soon!