LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas performer says he's forced to continue putting his passion on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Better known as "Golden Pipes," Carnell Johnson is the national anthem singer for the Vegas Golden Knights.
His voice quickly got the attention of the team and fans in the first season.
“In the second year, halfway through the year, they offered me the job,” says Johnson.
But, the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly hit Johnson as it bared down on the entertainment industry in Las Vegas.
Johnson says he eventually reached his breaking point.
“I finally had to sit down and say that I needed help,” says Johnson.
He recently posted on Twitter to ask for work around town.
“I’m willing to come to your house and lift rock, to put up Christmas decorations,” says Johnson.
Johnson was working at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, but they shut down in March as a result of the pandemic.
He also sang to tourists on the gondolas at The Venetian.
“I got laid off of both of those jobs, I just couldn’t support it,” says Johnson.
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Johnson says other performers he knows are doing whatever they can to get by, even if it means putting their passion on the back burner.
“I’m seeing a lot of my friends starting to learn new skills and new trades, which is born out of necessity,” says Johnson.
Johnson hopes his familiar face and voice will bring along some help to the other talented performers that call Las Vegas home.
“We’re looking forward to getting back on that stage and doing what we love,” says Johnson.
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