Lewis Harlen "Trey" Johnson, III

Trey Johnson truly had the soul of an artist. He was always creating – music, art, friendships, a loving family, a rich and interesting life – and he used his gifts to inspire and uplift everyone around him.

Trey was a Dallas native and a graduate of Greenhill School and The University of North Texas. His music and his family were the great passions of his life.

At the age of 15, he began playing in bands with his high school friends and booked his first Deep Ellum gig in 1986 with S.P.A.M. High school is also where he met the love of his life and future wife, Jen. In addition to his musical talent, Trey was a gifted natural athlete who excelled at just about any sport he played. At Greenhill, he lettered in both football and soccer.

From there, he moved on to UNT, where he studied in their storied music program and explored the Denton music scene with a variety of bands and musicians.

Post-college, he worked as a production director at local radio stations KISS-FM and 97.1 The EAGLE, and taught music for several years at local music school Zounds Sounds.

It didn’t take him long to become a beloved and respected figure in the Dallas music community. In the early 2000’s, he released four full-length records with the award-winning band Sorta and reached national attention when they were featured in Rolling Stone and their songs were picked up for several television series.

It was around this same time that Trey became a father to his daughter Dylan and son Will. Anyone who knew Trey for more than five minutes knew that his world revolved around his children. He took immense pride in being a dad and in building and nurturing a loving, close-knit family.

As a solo artist, Trey recorded the albums Mount Pelée and Where The East Ends on Idol Records, and most recently, an EP released on Christmas Day 2021 on State Fair Records called Home Again, Home Again, under the name Lewis III.

Pursuing his passion for supporting and inspiring other musicians, Trey co-founded State Fair Records, where he not only led day-to-day operations, but also mentored musicians and connected with them as a friend, a father figure and a brother. He helped build it into a prominent, highly regarded independent record label known far beyond its home of Dallas, Texas. The label has released albums by acclaimed artists such as Kristy Kruger, Eleven Hundred Springs and Joshua Ray Walker, who recently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

In 2019, Trey and his wife Jen opened YAM Dallas, a space for yoga and the arts in Lake Highlands, where he often wrote and played music and helped to curate the rotating gallery of local artists.

Trey worked with his mother, Betty Dicken, to produce the annual live Signature Event for Artists and Musicians in Recovery, showcasing the talents of musicians who have struggled with substance abuse and other behavioral health issues. He was also a trusted advisor to the Dallas Music Advisory Committee for the Dallas Film and Creative Industries Office.

Those who knew and loved Trey understand just how much this world has lost: his many creative gifts, his warmth and kindness, his passion for encouraging and collaborating with his fellow musicians, that gorgeous resonant voice, the deep, booming, infectious laugh, his easy, room-brightening smile (He would want us all to smile at each other more often) and the profound love he had for his family and friends. These were the outward manifestations of a beautiful heart and a loving soul.

Trey Johnson will be missed, but never forgotten, and always loved.

He's survived by his mother Betty Dicken, his wife Jen, his daughter Dylan and son Will, his sister Ginna, his brothers James and Scott, his nieces Karamie, Devyn, Charley, and Riley, his nephews Pace and Isaac, his brother-in-law Kurt, and sisters-in-law, Paula and Melissa.

Services will be held on Sunday, February 6th, at 2pm at Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 West Northwest Highway. T he in-person service is reserved for family and friends. For all others who wish to pay their respects, please join the service via livestream: https://vimeo.com/672931736 (or use the "Join Livestream" function below)

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes for your monetary support of one of the two charities listed.

The Trey Johnson Scholarship Endowment at the UNT College of Music, so that Trey’s legacy may live on through generations of music students in perpetuity. You may make a gift to this fund in two ways:

Online:

1. Visit https://one.unt.edu/giving/college-of-music

2. Choose “other” from the “Area of Support” drop-down menu.

3. Type “Trey Johnson Endowment” in the “other” box.

By Check:

1. Make a check out to “University of North Texas” with “Trey Johnson Endowment” in the memo line.

2. Send the check to: University of North Texas; University Advancement, Gift Administration 1155 Union Circle #311250 Denton, TX 76203

Donations can also be made to the Trey Johnson Artists Appreciation Fund. Trey was a founding board member for Artists and Musicians in Recovery, the non-profit organization celebrating artists and musicians on their journey through recovery. The fund was created to support those artists and musicians that volunteer their gifts and time to help support our community and cause. Donations can be made through the website under the Donate section at https://artsrecovery.org.