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In 1974 Johnson joined Austin, Texas, U.S. band the Electromagnets and despite failing to sign to a major label, Johnson earned himself a small cult following for his astounding guitar playing. He would later be session musician for the likes of Cat Stevens and Christopher Cross, but it was a performance on the TV show Austin City Limits in 1984 that really paved the way for his enviable career.
Johnson’s debut studio album “Tones” was released in 1986 and made waves across the U.S. among guitar and music communities. His mix of instrumentals and vocal tunes led to the song “Zap” being nominated for the Grammy Ward for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, however the album didn’t sell well and Johnson was dropped for Warner Bros. Music.
It’s follow-up 1990’s “Ah Via Musicom” adopted the same half-and-half format, and again produced the kind of critical acclaim most guitarists can only dream of. The track “Cliffs of Dover” earned him a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental and unlike its predecessor the album was certified as platinum.
Due to nerves, perfectionism and pressure to raise the standard of his music to even greater heights, Johnson’s subsequent album “Venus Isle” was not released until 1996, and the resulting CD received mixed reviews, though showed the development of the guitarist's influences. A year later however in 1997 the guitarist joined Joe Satriani and Steve Vai on the G3 tour, which had the effect of revamping Johnson’s musical curiosity and led to the live album “G3: Live in Concert”.
Side project Alien Love Child allowed Johnson to move past some of his perfectionist tendencies through which he released the life performance “Live and Beyond” in 2000 on Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label. The guitarist released “Souvenir” his fourth full-length debut digitally through his own website in 2002, followed shortly after by “Bloom” his sophomore release on Vai’s Favored Nations label.
2010 brought the studio album “Up Close” released through EMI and Vortexan Records, followed the full-length “ECLECTIC” and live album “Europe Live” in 2014.
Eric Johnson is perhaps one of the most talented guitarists out there today. He is a diverse player incorporating rock, blues, jazz, folk, and country and western into his own unique style. It is a complete thrill to see his masterful talents live, performing his shimmering guitar tones at lightening fast speed with such dexterity and precision. Eric Johnson usually tours with a backing band consisting of a drummer and a bass player, both of whom are remarkable on their instruments. Eric Johnson has also been known to tour with Joe Satriani’s G3 tour as well as the Expereince Hendrix tour, which is a tour dedicated to Jimi Hendrix where the most talented guitarists are asked to play tributes of his music.
Most of the music that Eric Johnson plays is instrumental, but every once in a while he will perform a song that involves singing. His guitar playing is very smooth and catchy. Whenever his soloing increases in tempo, my adrenaline increases with it like I was flooring the gas behind the wheel of a racecar. His songs are very distinguishable and never seem to blend together. At one moment he might be playing the jazz influenced song “Manhattan”, at another moment he will break into the country and western inspired “Steve’s Boogie”.
Eric Johnson is rightfully considered one of the best guitarists of his generations and he has inspired many musicians. Guitar Player magazine has labeled him “one of the most respected guitarists on the planet” and the Grammys recognized his talent by presenting him an award for his beloved instrumental track, “Cliffs of Dover”. I was completely blown away by his performance in Atlanta at the Variety Playhouse. At the show he teased the audience with four encores until he finally closed out the set with the crowd-pleasing song “SRV”.
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