Eric Johnson (guitarist)

For other people named Eric Johnson, see Eric Johnson (disambiguation).

Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is an American guitarist and recording artist from Austin, Texas. Best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, New Age, and country and western music into his recordings.

Eric Johnson

Guitar Player magazine calls Johnson "One of the most respected guitarists on the planet." Johnson composes and plays not just instrumental songs but also vocal pieces, and plays piano as well as guitar.

Widely recognized for his guitar skills, Johnson's stylistic diversity and technical proficiency have drawn praise from Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Allan Holdsworth, Larry Carlton, Steve Morse, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, Jeff Baxter, Prince, B. B. King, Joe Satriani and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. His critically-acclaimed, platinum selling 1990 recording Ah Via Musicom produced the single "Cliffs of Dover," for which Johnson won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Life and career

Johnson's talent developed at an early age. Born into a musically inclined family, he and his three sisters studied piano, his brother started his own band in his teens; his father (an Austin physician) was a singing enthusiast. At age 11, Johnson took up the guitar and progressed rapidly through the music of his influences: Eric Clapton, Chet Atkins, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, Jerry Reed, Bob Dylan, and Django Reinhardt, among others. His first professional experience came as a member of the psychedelic rock band Mariani when he was only fifteen. In 1968, Johnson recorded a demo tape with the group which saw extremely limited release; years later the recording became a prized collector's item.

The Electromagnets with Eric Johnson performing at N.C. State University, Raleigh, N.C., on April 11, 1976

After graduating from Holy Cross High School, Johnson briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin and traveled with his family to Africa. He eventually returned to Austin, and in 1974 joined a local fusion group named Electromagnets. The group toured and recorded regionally, but failed to attract attention from major record labels and disbanded in 1977. However, the strength of Johnson's playing attracted a small cult following to the group's early recordings, and decades later their two albums were given wide release on compact disc.

Following the demise of the Electromagnets, Johnson formed a touring trio, the Eric Johnson Group, with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Kyle Brock. They played to audiences in the Austin music scene, and in 1978 recorded a full length album entitled Seven Worlds. Although the album showcased the band's sound, a combination of contract disputes, financial wrangling, and mismanagement held up the album's release — and Johnson's career — for several years. True to form, Seven Worlds was released two full decades later in 1998 on Ark21 Records after Johnson secured the rights to the master recordings. Unable to secure a new management contract, Johnson nonetheless continued to build his professional reputation by working as a session guitarist for nationally and regionally known acts, appearing on recordings by Cat Stevens, Carole King, and Christopher Cross among others. All the while, he continued to toil on the local scene, developing a flashy-yet-tasteful electric guitar sound. His career rebounded in 1984 when pop superstar Prince caught one of Johnson's performances on the public television program Austin City Limits. However, despite the story of Johnson being signed to Warner Bros. Records with the assistance of Prince, it was singer Christopher Cross and producer David Tickle who recommended Johnson to be signed to the label. 1986 saw the release of Johnson's major-label debut, Tones with Tickle as co-producer.

Johnson's May 1986 Guitar Player magazine cover story "Who Is Eric Johnson and Why Is He On Our Cover" was a risky move by the publication that paid off for the magazine, while helping to promote the release of Tones which brought Johnson critical praise as well as commercial success, and raised his profile in the guitar and music community. Despite the track "Zap" being nominated for the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, the album did not sell well, and soon after Warner Bros. let Johnson's contract expire. He signed on with indie label Cinema Records which was distributed by Capitol Records.

By the time Johnson released his Capitol Records debut Ah Via Musicom in 1990, he was regularly winning awards for his musicianship in the guitar press. During this period, Johnson was also drawing recognition for the rich, violin-like tone he coaxed from his vintage Fender Stratocaster. The album's second cut, "Cliffs of Dover," exemplified his unique sound and won Johnson a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Ah Via Musicom was a crossover hit, and was soon certified platinum. A 5.1 DVD-Audio version of Ah Via Musicom was released in 2002 from Capitol Records without Johnson's input, but was soon dropped. Johnson apologized to fans on his website for the DVD-Audio release.

Johnson is an admitted perfectionist, and those traits seemed to work against Ah Via Musicom's follow-up release. Unhappy with his recordings, Johnson mastered — then subsequently scrapped — several completed tracks for the new album and delayed its release for a period of three years, on top of the three years already spent touring in support of Ah Via Musicom, and also had to deal with setbacks involving musical growth and personal issues while recording his next album Venus Isle.

When Venus Isle was finally released on September 3, 1996, it received mixed reviews and did not match the success of its predecessor. The album at this time has sold 250,000 units and Johnson was dropped from Capitol Records soon after that. It was a unique album with world influences which demonstrated Eric Johnson's growth as a guitarist, songwriter, [[record producer|producer, musical arranger, and vocalist. The Venus Isle title track showcased the talents of musician Amit Chatterjee.

A successful month long tour from October to November 1996 with fellow guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai named the G3 (tour), resulted in a successful platinum selling compact disc and DVD titled G3: Live in Concert.

In 1998, Eric Johnson was among the judges in Musician magazine's Best Unsigned Bands competition, along with Ani DiFranco, Moby, Art Alexakis of Everclear, Keb' Mo', and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

In 1994, Johnson had formed a side project called Alien Love Child and played shows sporadically while Johnson was recording Venus Isle. The positive fan feedback from the shows made Alien Love Child a permanent gig where a live performance recording, Live And Beyond,was finally released in 2000 on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label, showcasing new songs. The Alien Love Child project helped free Johnson's perfectionism involving recording music and obsessive tinkering with guitar equipment gear.

Johnson eventually returned to the recording studio, releasing Souvenir, an internet release, in January 2002 on his own Vortexan Records. The album received nearly 65,000 plays in the first 7 weeks it was made available on mp3.com. Johnson promoted Souvenir with an electric tour in 2003 and an acoustic tour in 2004.

In 2004, Eric Johnson was invited by Eric Clapton to perform at Clapton's successful Crossroads Guitar Festival. According to Johnson, he was scheduled to perform onstage with Clapton, but the opportunity fell through.

Johnson's next studio album Bloom was released in June 2005 also on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. The album was divided into three sections based on vibe of songs that showcased Johnson's musical versatility. His December 1988 Austin City Limits performance was released on both DVD and compact disc on New West Records in November 2005. His instructional guitar DVD, The Art of Guitar, (Hal Leonard Corporation) was also released at the end of 2005.

In January 2006, an individual named Brian Sparks was arrested for posing as Johnson by bilking businesses out of about $18,000 worth of guitars and equipment. Also in 2006, Johnson's guitars that were stolen 24 years prior, were recovered.

In September 2006, Eric Johnson took part in a theatrical production titled "Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar" - the first definitive theatrical journey through the guitar’s colorful and surprisingly controversial 3500-year history, filmed by the Adams Entertainment Group. In September 2007, Johnson took part in a second theatrical production by Adams Entertainment titled "Love In: A Musical Celebration" in which he performed a Jimi Hendrix set which paid tribute to the year 1967 "The Summer Of Love." Also in late 2006 Johnson also took part in a second G3 (tour) in South America with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci.

Johnson's current projects did include an all-acoustic project and a live video from his 2006 Tour with Joe Satriani. However these have been shelved, as Johnson is cutting a new studio album at this time.

His hit single "Cliffs of Dover" appears in the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. In addition, Johnson is currently a featured instructor at Web site http://www.guitarinstructor.com.

Eric Johnson along with other Texas musicians such as Stephen Burton and Patrice Pike have signed up with Operation Immortality, a project to create a digital time capsule of their DNA and humanity's achievements in the event of global calamity.

Guitar and equipment

Eric Johnson is best known for playing stock Fender Stratocaster and Gibson ES-335 electric guitars through a triple amp setup that consists of Fender Amplifiers, Dumble Amplifiers, and Marshall amplification. The Dumble amp has not made an appearance on his live performances for sometime since and including his best known live DVD at the Austin City Limits. Eric uses effects pedals such as a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, BK Butler Tube Driver, TC Electronic Stereo Chorus, Vox Cry Baby wah-wah, Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Delay, an MXR Digital Delay, a Line 6 Echo Pro Studio Modeler, and a Maestro Echoplex tape delay of which all are connected to multiple A/B boxes to create sounds and tones that are both clean and distorted; Although the majority of Eric's setup is predominantly vintage, he has recently started using more modern effects including a stereo chorus made by AnalogMan.

Eric Johnson occasionally substitutes his pedals for others, sometimes being spotted with a TubeWorks Tube Driver rather than a Butler one. He has also been seen using the Xotic AC Booster as well as a Boss DS-1 and a Smoky Signal Tubeless Overdrive.

Eric Johnson was also responsible for putting the Tube Driver pedal created by Brent Butler on the map which is an essential part of his guitar sound.

Johnson has also played other guitar brands such as Robin, Rickenbacker, and Jackson Charvel, which appears on the cover of the Ah Via Musicom album.

He has also been known to use series wired or 'coil tapped' Dimarzio HS-2's in the neck and bridge position of his stratocasters; although this setup is not hum-cancelling, it still cancels around 70% of the AC hum.

In 2001, Eric Johnson added a Custom Shop '59 Les Paul Reissue to his guitars of choice.

C. F. Martin & Company released a limited-edition signature Eric Johnson Signature MC-40 in 2003, built to his specifications. Johnson donated five percent of the profits from his signature Martin guitar to Jefferson Medical College as a tribute to his father who attended.

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation released an Eric Johnson Signature Fender Stratocaster in 2005 also built to his specifications. Johnson has also released other signature gear such as GHS Eric Johnson Nickel Rockers Electric Guitar Strings, DiMarzio DP211 Eric Johnson Signature Custom Pickups, and a Fullton-Webb amplifier. Jim Dunlop also has released an Eric Johnson signature Jazz III plectrum.

Johnson was also featured in a video for Line6 GuitarPort product.

In late 2006, Johnson switched from recording in analog format to digital format.

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation in early 2009 has released the Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Rosewood model. This signature Fender Stratocaster guitar features the same specifications as the Eric Johnson Maple Neck Strat, except for the addition of a unusual 3-ply 8-hole white pickguard, hotter treble pickup and a bound rosewood laminate fingerboard with pearloid dot position markers (available in colors such as Dakota Red and other three exclusive colors Tropical Turquoise, Medium Palomino Metallic, and Lucerne Aqua Firemist).

Solo albums

• Seven Worlds (1978) (re-issue, 1998)
• Tones (1986)
• Ah Via Musicom (1990)
• Venus Isle (1996)
• Souvenir (2002)
• Bloom (2005)
• Live from Austin, TX (2005)

Singles played on

• Mariani (1970) Tracks "Re-Birth Day" and "Memories Lost and Found" - Sonobeat 118

• Jay Aaron Podolnick (1975) Track "Come In Out Of The Rain"

• Christopher Cross (1976) Tracks, "It's All With You" and "Talkin' About Her" - Starburst ARC

• Bill Maddox - Project Terror (1976) Tracks "In Memory of Buda" and "Thermal Underwear" - E. G. Records

• Bill Colbert (1982) Tracks "That Rider Down" and "Mama's Little Baby" - Texas Re-Cord Co

• Cliffs of Dover: Flexidisc (recorded July 31, 1984 Live at Austin City Limits) - 1986, Guitar Player Magazine Soundpage

Albums played on

Group albums

• Perpetuum Mobile (1970) by Mariani
• Electromagnets (1975) by Electromagnets
• Live and Beyond (2000) by Alien Love Child
• Electromagnets 2 (2006) by Electromagnets - Vortexan Records

Compilations

• The Austin Christmas Collection (1980) - "What Child Is This"
• The Austin Christmas Collection Volume 2 (1983) - "What Child Is This" and "Is There A Santa Claus"
• Guitar Speak (1988) by Various Artists - "Western Flyer"
• KLBJ's Local Licks Live (1990) - "Camel's Night Out"
• Instrumental Moods (1991) - "Cliffs Of Dover"
• Guitar's Practicing Musicians Vol 2 (1991) - "Cliffs Of Dover" (Live)
• KLBJ's Local Licks Live (1993) - "Desert Rose"
• True Voices (1995) - "At The End of The Day" with Susan Cowsill
• KLBJ's Local Licks Live (1996) - "S.R.V."
• 13th Millennia Soundtrack (1996) - Texas World Records
• G3 Live in concert (1997) by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson
• Merry Axemas Volume 1 (1997) Various Artists - Track #2 - "The First Nowell"
• Guitar Gods (1998) Various Artists - Track #1 "Trademark"
• KGSR 107.1 Broadcasts Vol. 7 (on "Tribute to Jerry Reed" and "The Only Thing That's Real"- recorded July 8, 1999. Also on KGSR 107.1 Broadcasts Vol. 8 1999

• The Best of Rockline (1999) - Track 11 - "SRV"
• Moods Box Set (1999) - "Cliffs Of Dover"
• Rock Guitarist Forever Best (1999) - Track 4 - "Soulful Terrain" (Japanese Release)
• KLBJ Local Licks Live - (2001) - Track "Shape I'm In"
• Band Together - (2002) - Track "Shape I'm In"
• Texas Guitar Slingers Vol. 1 (2002) - Track "Enzo Shuffle"
• Relief Fund Compilation Album Benefiting The World Trade Center - (2002) unreleased
• Fender Stratocaster 50th Anniversary (2004) - Track #5 "Trademark"
• Don't Mess With Texas - Vol 2. (2004) - Track "Boogie King"
• KGSR 107.1 Broadcasts Vol 12. (2004) - Track "Song For George"
• Austin Music, Vol 6. (2007) - Track "Sunarround You"
• Keep Punching (2007) - Track 3 - "Forever Yours"
• Gibson Presents: Hot Tones In High Definition (2008) - Free Album Download From Oct 6 2008 to Dec 6 2008 - Track #4 "World Of Trouble"
• Various Artists: This is Fusion Guitar (2009) - Track #1 "Beck's Bolero"

Guest appearance work

• Once Upon a Rock (1977) by American Peddlers - Track "Circle Song"
• Back to Earth (1978) by Cat Stevens Track #3 "Bad Brakes"
• Gene Morris (1979) by Gene Morris - Track "My Friend"
• Pearls (1980) by Carole King
• Johnny Dee & The Rocket 88's by Johnny Dee & The Rocket 88's - Track "No More"
• Christopher Cross (1980) by Christopher Cross Track #9 "Minstrel Gigolo"
• One to One (1982) by Carole King
• Long Time Friends (1982) by Alessi - Track #4 "Rise Up"
• Til You Came Along (1982) by Bobby Giles
• Shake Russell and Dana Cooper (1982) by Shake Russell and Dana Cooper - Tracks "Waitin' Here For You" and "Goin' Down Judah"
• World Beat (1983) by Dan Del Santo - Track "Ain't That Askin' A Little Too Much?"
• Pressure (1983) by Pressure - Track "Save A Little Time"
• Peripheral Vision (1984) by McColl & Tracey
• Marc Anthony Thompson (1984) by Marc Anthony Thompson - Track "Recover Gracefully"
• Stand Up (1985) by Steve Morse Band - Track #5 "Distant Star"
• Street Language (1986) by Rodney Crowell Track #2 "Ballad Of Fast Eddie"
• Guitar Speak (1988) by Various Artists- Track #3 "Western Flyer"
• Willie Jones (1990) by Willie Jones - Tracks "So Long," "Mary Jean"
• Inside Out (1990) by Jay Aaron - Track #6 "Ronda"
• The Urge (1991) by Stuart Hamm Track #5 "On Our Dreams" and Track #6 "Lone Star"
• Rush Street (1992) by Richard Marx - Track "Keep Coming Back" (AOR Mix)
• The Hunter (1992) by Jennifer Warnes - Track #7 "Lights of Louisiana" and Track #10 "I Can't Hide"
• Rendezvous (1992) by Christopher Cross- Track #8 "Nothing Will Change"
• Herman Harris & the Voices of Hope(1993)- by Herman Harris
• Read My Licks (1994) by Chet Atkins- Track #5 "Somebody Loves Me Now"
• What The Hell Was I Thinking? (unreleased track) (1994) by Dweezil Zappa

• Wave of the Hand (1995) by Carla Olson - Track #2 "I'm Tryin'"
• Angelica (1997) by Various Arists - Track #6 "Ave Maria"
• Merry Axemas (1997) by Various Artists - Track #2 "The First Nowell"
• Angels, Horses & Pirates by Little Blue (1997)- Track #1 "Wait Until You Get Here"
• Rosebud (1998) by Stephen Doster - Track "There Is No Time"
• Walking in Avalon (1998) by Christopher Cross - Track #4 "When She Smiles"
• Koko's Hideaway (1999) by Van Wilks - Track #11, "Vanatized"
• Fingers and Thumbs (1999) by Adrian Legg - Track #1 "Lunchtime At Rosie's"
• Been A Long Time (2001) by Double Trouble - Track #9 "In The Garden"
• Last Of The Cowboy Vampires (2001) by Lance Keltner - Track #5 "Chain Gang"
• More to Life Than This (2003) by Mike Tramp - Track "On The Good, the Sad and the Ugly"
• A Guitar Supreme, Giant Steps in Fusion Guitar (2004) by Various Artists Track #1 "Resolution"
• Fusion for Miles, A Guitar Tribute: A Bitchin' Brew (2005) by Various Artists Track #3 "Jean Pierre"
• Industrial Zen (2006) by John McLaughlin - Track #2 'New Blues old Bruise'
• Viva Carlos: A Supernatural Marathon Celebration (2006) by Various Artists - Track #6, "Aqua Marine"
• Hero Shuffle (2006) by Rex Paul - Tracks #3 "Hero Shuffle" and #8 "Reminds Me of Austin"
• Walk On (2006) by Roscoe Beck - Track #4 "Together All The Time"
• Grand and Green River (2007) by Kara Grainger
• The Devil Knows My Name (2007) by John5 - Track #10 "The Washing Away of Wrong"
• Freeway Jam: To Beck and Back Jeff Beck Tribute (2007) - Track #3 "Beck's Bolero"
• Lovers (2008) by Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel
• From The Reach (2008) by Sonny Landreth - Track #4 "The Milky Way Home"
• Bridging The Gap (2008) by Doyle Dykes - Track #5 "Red Clay"
• Big Neighbourhood (2009) by Mike Stern - Track # 2 "6th Street and # 8 "Long Time Gone"

Instructional DVDs

• Eric Johnson: Total Electric Guitar (1990) by Hot Licks
• Eric Johnson: The Fine Art of Guitar (1996) by Hot Licks
• Eric Johnson: The Art of Guitar (2005) by Hal Leonard Corporation

Television Appearances and Videos

• Austin City Limits Appearances - 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2000. 1999 Clint Black with Special Guests
• Carole King - "One To One" Tour [Video] (1983)
• Nova - PBS Special - "Nautilus: 500 Million Years Under the Sea" The Chambered Nautilus (1987)
• Live at the Bottomline, New York - Japanese Television Broadcast (1990)
• MTV Rock 'n Jock Softball - performing "The Star Spangled Banner" (1991)
• The Tonight Show - performing "Cliffs Of Dover" (1991)
• Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's "Guitar"- Japanese Only Release - Warner Brothers (VHS and LaserDisc) (1991)
• BB King and Friends...Live at the Woodlands (1993) (Houston PBS Special)
• Chet Atkins and Friends - "Read My Licks" - TNN Special (1994)
• PBS Special - BASEBALL: Inning 9: Home (1994) The Baseball Film Project
• G3 Live in concert (1997) by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson

• Electromagnets: Live on PBS Playback (1975) re-released on VHS (1998)
• Double Trouble with Special Guests - Austin City Limits (2001)
• House Of Blues [Internet Webcast Live] - Alien Love Child Tour (2001)
• Big Wreck and Friends [Internet Webcast Live] - Roy Thomson Hall - Toronto, Ontario (2001)
• Guitar Show - Australian Television Broadcast (2002)
• Jennifer Warnes DVD-A from AIX - unreleased (2003)
• Crossroads Guitar Festival (2004) Warner Brothers
• 107.7 The Bone Studios Radio Show (2005)
• James Burton International Guitar Festival (2005) filmed for a future release.
• Live in Austin, Tx (2005) NewWest Records
• Satriani LIVE (2006) Epic Records
• Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar (2006)
• Love In: A Musical Celebration (2007)
• Anaheim (Live) (2008) - also broadcasted on HD Concert Series.

Video Games

• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007), "Cliffs of Dover"
• Guitar Hero: World Tour (2009), "Camel's Night Out"

Eric Johnson Musical Inspirations

Guitarist Alex Lifeson of Rush (band) gave a thank you in the liner notes in the Counterparts (album) to Johnson for being the inspiration for the guitar solo in the song "Cut To The Chase".

Guitarist Steve Morse recorded a song titled "TruthOla," which is a tribute to Jeff Beck, Alex Lifeson and Eric Johnson. The song is on Morse's album "Major Impacts".

Awards and chartings

• Albums:
  • 1991 - Ah Via Musicom (album) - Grammy - Best Rock Instrumental Nomination
  • 1991 - Ah Via Musicom (album) - Billboard magazine - Billboard 200 - (#67)
  • 2006 - Bloom (album) - Grammy - Best Pop Instrumental Nomination

• Songs:
  • 1987 - "Zap" - (from Tones) - Grammy - Best Rock Instrumental Nomination
  • 1990 - "Cliffs of Dover" - (from Ah Via Musicom) - Mainstream Rock Tracks - (#5)
  • 1990 - "High Landrons" - (from Ah Via Musicom) - Mainstream Rock Tracks - (#31)
  • 1991 - "Righteous" - (from Ah Via Musicom) - Mainstream Rock Tracks - (#8)
  • 1991 - "Trademark" - (from Ah Via Musicom) - Mainstream Rock Tracks - (#7)
  • 1992 - "Cliffs of Dover" - (from Ah Via Musicom) - Grammy - winner - Best Rock Instrumental Performance
  • 1997 - "Pavilion" - (from Venus Isle) - Grammy - Best Rock Instrumental Nomination
  • 1998 - "S.R.V." - (from Venus Isle) - Grammy - Best Rock Instrumental Nomination
  • 2002 - "Rain" (from Live and Beyond) - Grammy - Best Pop Instrumental Nomination

External links

• Official website
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