Steve Johnson in the “Hold On” Music Video


According to Billboard, drummer Steve Johnson of Alabama Shakes has been indicted on “willful torture, willful abuse and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under the age of 18.”

Johnson has been a part of the band since its 2009 formation, alongside singer/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell.

After releasing their 2015 Grammy-winning LP Sound & Color, the band has been on an extended hiatus, as Howard pursues her own award-winning solo career.

This is also not Johnson’s first tango with the law. In March 2020 he pled guilty to “violating a domestic violence protection order in Limestone County[, Ala.]. He received a suspended sentence of a year in jail, with 24 months on probation.”

Johnson’s bond is set at $21,500. His arraignment is set for April 7.