Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson
Background information
Also known as
"EJ"
Born
August 17, 1954
(1954-08-17)
Austin, Texas, USA
Genre(s)
Instrumental rock, Acid rock
Years active
1974 – present
Associated
acts
G3,
Alien Love Child,
Electromagnets
Website
http://www.ericjohnson.com
Notable instrument(s)
Fender Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster
Gibson ES-335
Signature Martin acoustic
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 regu-
larly incorporates jazz, fusion, New Age, and
country and western elements into his re-
cordings.[1]
Guitar Player magazine calls Johnson "One
of the most respected guitarists on the plan-
et."[2] 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,
Rusty Burns, Joe Satriani and the late Stevie
Ray Vaughan. His critically-acclaimed, platin-
um 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.[3]
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 enthusi-
ast. 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 experi-
ence came as a member of the psychedelic
rock band Mariani at just 15 years of age. In
1968, Johnson recorded a demo tape with the
group which saw extremely limited