Smooth Operator

Johnny Schmittou - Drums/Backing Vocals

Growing up in the Nashville area, Johnny did the school band thing, playing way through his first two years of college.  He cut his teeth on CCR and Grand Funk - later getting into R&B and jazz - anything with a good groove.  Johnny has played in several cover bands in DFW. Prior to Smooth Operator he was in the cover band Last Night's Alibi. Before that, he was in The 8Tracks who were selected as the House Band at the 2020 NHL Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl. Johnny and his band mates performed before a sold out crowd of 85,630 people.

"I'd rather play drums than do anything else", says Johnny.  "I'm always fascinated and amazed with drums and percussion.  There's always something new to learn.  And the thing I love the most is playing good live music to an enthusiastic audience."

John Walker - Guitar/Backing Vocals

Originally from Florida, John started playing guitar and saxophone at age 12, and after graduating from college with a computer engineering degree, moved to Texas and has been here ever since. John has written and recorded with various original bands, and is a veteran of cover and tribute bands, having played guitar for Anthem (Rush), Bebe LeStrange (Heart), and guitar and sax with Cold As Ice (Foreigner), as well as many others. During the pandemic, John started working on a collection of cover tunes as a way to keep busy, which became his first solo recording, Isolation. You can find Isolation on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. 

Shawn Southern - Keyboards

A native of Oklahoma City, but a transplanted Texan for now more than 35 years, Shawn is the keyboard player in Smooth Operator. Classically trained on piano and trumpet, his influences include a widely varying range of musical genres - from Bach to Bob James. Shawn performed in a variety of North Texas classic rock/pop/R&B ensembles before joining Smooth Operator. “Playing the music of Sade with a talented group of fellow musicians is a tremendously enjoyable experience and one which offers nice stylistic variation within the setlists” he says. 

Ron Goldman - Bass Guitar

Growing up in New York, Ron began his musical journey when he got his first guitar at the age of 14 and started playing classic rock, blues, country and jazz. He majored in engineering and completed a minor in music composition adding a solid understanding of music theory to his musical performance skills. After college Ron moved to DFW and over the past 30 years has played in various classic rock, blues, and southern rock bands in DFW. In the past few years Ron has written, recorded, and produced over 40 original songs. His music can be found on the major streaming platforms.