Within a few years, the club became one of the most sought after musical troupes in Kerala, and had more than fifty members. Johnson was the main instrumentalist in the club where he played wide varieties of instruments – guitar, harmonium, flute, drums and violin. In 1968, Johnson and his friends formed a club named Voice of Thrissur. He also used to sing in female voice in ganamelas (a stage show where film songs are sung by local or professional artists). He used to sing in youth festivals and musical shows and joined the orchestra team of some local troupes and played harmonium in many concerts. He obtained training in guitar and harmonium from his colleagues during this early periods itself. Johnson was a singer in the choir of Nellikkunnu St. His father, the late Thattil Antony, was a bank employee. Johnson was born in Nellikkunnu near Trichur (Thrissur) in the state of Travancore-Cochin (now part of Kerala), on 26 March 1953.

He died of a heart attack in Chennai on 18 August 2011.

He was the first Music Director from Malayalam cinema to be honored with the National film Awards. He has composed music for more than 300 Malayalam films, the most by any composer except for Devarajan. Venu, that won the best screenplay award at the Ashdod International Film Festival in Israel. In 2003, he did the background score for NFDC film, Parinamam (The Change), directed by P. Chandran, Kamal, Lohithadas, Balachandra Menon and Mohan. He was a recurrent collaborator for directors Padmarajan, Bharathan, Sathyan Anthikkad, T. Devarajan in the 1970s, and debuted as an independent composer in late seventies with Aaravam. He started his career as an assistant to G.

Johnson is a recipient of National Film Awards twice and Kerala State Film Awards Five times. Regarded as one of the finest composers in the industry, he was noted for his lyrical and expressive melodies together with simple but rich tonal compositions of thematic music. Thattil Antony Johnson (26 March 1953 – 18 August 2011), popularly known as Johnson Master, was an Indian film score composer and music director who has given music to some of the most important motion pictures of Malayalam cinema, including those for Koodevide, Namukku Paarkkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam, Vadakkunokkiyantram, Perumthachan, Njan Gandharvan, Ponthan Mada, and Bhoothakkannadi.

O palan hare on harmonium