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Biography
Johnny Lee Middleton is a musician and songwriter best known as the bass player for Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He first came to prominence as a member of Savatage, the Florida metal band he joined in late 1985. The title track of 1987's Hall of the Mountain King, on which Middleton received a co-writing credit, saw heavy rotation on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. The followup record, Gutter Ballet, had similar success. Since 1985, Middleton has been the only member of Savatage to participate in every album and tour.
In 1996, Middleton was a founding member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a new project that grew out of the success of the song "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" from the 1995 Savatage album Dead Winter Dead. The first TSO album, Christmas Eve and Other Stories—which included a re-release of "Christmas Eve"—was released in the fall of 1996.
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