Press Inquiries
ron@dogranchmusicpr.com
benji@dogranchmusicpr.com
John Korbel Returns With Johnny Still Got Game: A Lifetime of Stories, Craft, and Collaboration
For singer-songwriter John Korbel, the title of his upcoming album Johnny Still Got Game is more than a playful declaration. It is a testament to a lifelong commitment to songwriting, reinvention, and creative growth.
Set for release October 30, 2026, Johnny Still Got Game finds the Florida-based artist at the peak of a musical journey that began in Philadelphia clubs, wound through touring bands and decades of life experience, and has now arrived at his most ambitious and hands-on recording project to date. Blending jazz-inflected sophistication, pop craftsmanship, funk grooves, and sharp storytelling, the album showcases Korbel’s gift for turning personal experiences and vivid imagination into songs that resonate far beyond their origins.
Listen to Johnny Still Got Game
One of the album’s standout tracks, “Paint a Starry Night,” opens the record with an expansive horn-driven arrangement. Inspired by a guitar riff sent to Korbel by longtime friend and guitarist Jeff Rankin, the song explores the challenges and possibilities of romance later in life. Drawing imagery from Vincent van Gogh and inspired in part by a memorable piece of stage banter from Joni Mitchell, the song transforms a simple phrase into a meditation on love, memory, and renewal.
Another centerpiece of the album, “Great Flowing River,” began during a drive across the Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Mississippi. What started as a songwriter’s personal challenge to avoid clichés about rivers evolved into a thoughtful reflection on American history, race, and reconciliation.
“I didn’t want to write a protest song,” Korbel explains. “I wanted to make a statement without being preachy. The song became about crossing bridges, not just literally, but metaphorically. It’s about confronting history honestly and moving forward together.”
Elsewhere, Korbel’s playful imagination takes center stage on “Speed Shop at the Top of the World,” a funky, freewheeling track inspired by a phrase that unexpectedly arrived in his head one morning. Filled with surreal imagery of grease monkeys and automotive Bodhisattva, Buddhist monks, and stream-of-consciousness wordplay, the song reflects a songwriting philosophy that values curiosity and surprise as much as technical precision.
“I was laughing the whole time I wrote it,” he says. “Sometimes you just have to let your imagination go and see where it takes you.”
That willingness to follow unexpected creative paths has defined Korbel’s career. Originally performing under his birth name, John Knoblauch, he built a strong regional following in Philadelphia, headlining the legendary Main Point and sharing stages with some of the era’s most notable acts. Later, as frontman for the popular Philadelphia-area band Jellyroll, he honed his skills as a performer before relocating to Florida and eventually adopting the stage name John Korbel as part of a fresh start.
After years balancing music with a career outside the industry, Korbel embraced the opportunities available to independent artists and returned to recording with renewed purpose. Releases such as Earthlight, Bourbon Street Taps, and the full-length Falling Feels Like Flying established him as a songwriter equally comfortable with jazz, pop, Brazilian influences, and sophisticated adult contemporary sounds.
Those influences remain present throughout Johnny Still Got Game. Listeners may hear echoes of Steely Dan, Al Jarreau, Michael Franks, and Ben Sidran, but Korbel’s voice remains uniquely his own. His songs are marked by unexpected turns, witty observations, and a collaborative spirit that allows talented musicians to elevate his material in surprising ways.
“I love working with players who hear things in the songs that I don’t,” Korbel says. “When the collaboration takes the music somewhere I never could have gone by myself, that’s where the magic happens.”
With Johnny Still Got Game, John Korbel delivers an album that is reflective without being nostalgic, sophisticated without losing its sense of fun, and deeply personal while remaining universally relatable. It is the work of an artist still exploring, still evolving, and proving that creative growth has no expiration date.