Biography of Eric Johnson

Grammy award winning guitar virtuoso Eric Johnson has long been a magazine cover favorite and live attraction, even without much radio airplay. Johnson was introduced to classic jazz and Elvis records by his father at a young age, and his own love for the Beatles and the Ventures helped to form his already maturing guitar style. By the time he was 13, he was already a working musician in the Austin, TX, area which led to session work for artists like Cat Stevens, Carol King, and Christopher Cross. A 1984 appearance on Austin City Limits apparently caught the attention of Prince, who instructed his parent label, Warner Bros. Records, to sign the young musician. Within months, Johnson signed to Warner subsidiary Reprise Records and, in 1986, released his debut solo album Tones, featuring uncredited backing vocals by Prince collaborators Wendy and Lisa. His second release (on Capitol), Ah Via Musicom, contained the Grammy winning instrumental "Cliffs of Dover," which got some radio play and brought the guitarist to the public's attention. In the mid-'90s, Musician Magazine named Johnson among the 100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century, he spent time collaborating with B.B. King, Chet Atkins, and Dweezil Zappa, and touring with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai under the name G3. The third album, Venus Isle, and playing with his side project Alien Love Child took up his attention in the late '90s, and the space blues recording Live and Beyond arrived in 2000. ~ Zac Johnson