James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A. Johnston and James Alan Johnston. 　　Career 　　Johnston's chief role in WWE is providing the soundtrack for WWE programming, in addition to providing musical content for WWE's large output of video games and website content. Johnston achieved fame for producing many of the memorable entrance theme songs for the WWE Superstars, including the likes of The Undertaker, The Rock, The Big Show, Mr. McMahon amongst hundreds of other superstars, many of which have been released on commercial albums and through iTunes. 　　Beyond superstar entrance themes, Johnston also composes music for the majority of WWE's PPV and Television productions, including show themes, music videos, vignettes, commercials and tributes. He likens his work to from our executive producer: "‘We’ve got a new guy coming,' or ‘He’s breaking out of a tag team and he needs music.' It's like scoring for a movie: Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Is he light and svelte and quick-moving, which dictates a fast tempo, or is he a big plodding kind of a guy, in which case you need a big, heavy, the-wrath-of-God-is-coming-upon-us sound?" 　　Johnston has mentioned in past interviews that he suffers from stage fright and a fear of live audiences, and it was this fear that led to him seeking a more 'studio oriented' music career. His first job in the entertainment business was working with MTV and VH1 to create bumpers and commercial cues, before Producer of Music for the company. 　　Johnston has scored several film projects for WWE Studios, including The Chaperone, That's What I Am and The Reunion. He also provided music for other WWE-affiliated products including the World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL. 　　Johnston is well known for writing, composing and producing all his compositions alone, in addition to playing all instruments. He will occasionally recruit outside vocalists or additional musicians to contribute when the piece requires, and often prefers to bring in unsigned bands and new artists to provide vocals. In 2008, Johnston publicly expressed his frustration to Billboard Magazine at the inability of WWE to secure better promotional deals with artists due to a lack of understanding of the WWE product. He said, ""One of my frustrations is getting the word out about just how much music is used in our product. The labels will stumble over themselves to get on MTV, but no one's watching MTV." Conversely, WWE and Johnston have been responsible for helping to fuel a surge in sales for associated acts such as Fuel, Shinedown and Motorhead through their use in WWE productions. 　　Successes 　　Since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking U.S. album sales in 1991, Johnston has released seventeen WWE albums that have sold a combined 5.9 million units. Most have appeared in the Billboard 200, with many achieving gold and even platinum certification status. The top seller overall is "WWF: The Music, Vol. 3," released in 1998, and which went Platinum. The album sold a total 1.2 million units in the United States alone. 　　Appearances 　　Johnston appears on the videotape Piledriver: The Wrestling Album 2 to introduce the video for Girls in Cars. He orchestrated the live band at the WWF Slammy Awards ceremonies, and traveled across the U.S. in 1995 as part of the "Raw Band". He also appeared on camera at WrestleMania XIV and the 1998 SummerSlam playing the DX theme with the Chris Warren Band. Johnston also had a brief clip in the film Beyond the Mat discussing his reasoning behind Vader's theme music. Johnston also appears on the bonus DVD for WWE Originals the 2004 album by the same name. The DVD features a 30 minute behind-the-scenes documentary on Johnston, offering insights into the composing, producing and directing of the album. There are also some humorous interactions of Johnston with Jonathan Coachman and Steve Austin. Johnston also appears on The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior discussing the Ultimate Warrior's theme song, and how it was able to be truly representative of the character. Johnston also appeared on the WWF WrestleMania XV DVD Extras, commenting on WWE's music, and how music is crucial in World Wrestling Entertainment. 　　Filmography 　　Johnston composed the music for Legendary, Knucklehead, and The Chaperone, all of which were produced by WWE Studios. He also wrote the score for No Holds Barred and contributed the track, "Ahmed Johnson" to the documentary, Beyond the Mat.