42-1940: Eric Johnson may refer to: Music [ edit ] Eric Johnson (guitarist) (born 1954), American guitarist and recording artist Eric D. Johnson (born 1976), American musician, member of indie-rock bands including Fruit Bats, The Shins and Califone Politics [ edit ] Eric Johnson (Georgia politician) (born 1953), state senator Eric Johnson (Texas politician) (born 1975), Mayor of Dallas Eric Johnson (British politician) (1897–1978), British Conservative Party politician Sports [ edit ] American football [ edit ] Eric Johnson (defensive back) (born 1976), American football linebacker Eric Johnson (tight end) (born 1979), American football tight end Eric Johnson (defensive tackle) (born 1998), American football defensive tackle Other sportspeople [ edit ] Eric Johnson (golfer) (born 1962), American golfer Eric Johnson (basketball) (born 1966), American former basketball player Eric Johnson (Australian sportsman) (1902–1976), Australian rules footballer and cricketer Eric Johnson (footballer) (born 1944), English footballer Eric Johnson Jr. (born 2003), American stock car racing driver Other [ edit ] Eric Vale (born 1974), American voice actor sometimes credited as Eric Johnson Eric Johnson (actor) (born 1979), Canadian actor Eric Johnson (journalist) , American news and sports reporter in Seattle Eric A. Johnson (historian) (born 1948), American historian and professor of history Eric A. Johnson (microbiologist) , American microbiologist and professor of bacteriology Eric J. Johnson , professor of marketing at Columbia University Eric Johnson (theologian) , professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary M. Eric Johnson , dean of
84-721: A Jimi Hendrix set, a tribute to the year 1967, often called "The Summer of Love ". In late 2006, he participated in a second G3 tour in South America with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci . Johnson appeared as part of Guitar Player magazine's Ultimate Musician's Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas in February 2014, with guitarists Joe Perry , Steve Vai , Elliot Easton , Michael Anthony , and others. He appeared with Zakk Wylde , Buddy Guy , Jonny Lang , Kenny Wayne Shepherd , Dweezil Zappa , and Doyle Bramhall II as part of
126-421: A guitar player ) is a person who plays the guitar . Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars , acoustic guitars , electric guitars , and bass guitars . Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar by singing or playing the harmonica , or both. The guitarist may employ any of several methods for sounding the guitar, including finger-picking , depending on
168-473: A 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Ah Via Musicom was a crossover hit and was certified platinum . Johnson is an admitted perfectionist, and those traits seemed to work against the Ah Via Musicom follow-up release. Unhappy with his recordings, Johnson mastered, then later scrapped several completed tracks for the new album and delayed its release for three years, on top of
210-490: A Dumble amplifier, as he had to replace a faulty component in his favorite Dumble, the Steel String Singer. It never sounded the same afterwards, and he sold the amplifier to Carlos Santana. Johnson has had several models built to his specifications for sale in the mass market. In 2003, C. F. Martin & Company released a limited-edition Eric Johnson Signature MC-40 guitar built for him. Johnson donated 5% of
252-536: A Fulton-Webb amplifier. Jim Dunlop also has released an Eric Johnson signature Jazz III plectrum and an Eric Johnson signature Fuzz Face. The Eminence Eric Johnson signature 12" alnico guitar speaker was introduced in 2012. In early 2015, Roland Corporation announced the Eric Johnson Tone Capsule, an accessory to Roland Blues Cube amplifiers. In March 2018, Fender released an Eric Johnson Signature Thinline Fender Stratocaster built to exactly
294-416: A four course instrument was popular among aristocrats. In the early nineteenth century there the guitar enjoyed a surge of popularity when composer/performers such as Fernando Sor , Napoléon Coste , Mauro Giuliani , and many others published thousands of pieces for the concert hall and home gatherings. The classical guitar enjoyed another period of popularity in the twentieth century when recordings amplified
336-475: A local fusion group called Electromagnets. The group toured and recorded regionally, but did not attract attention from major record labels and disbanded in 1977. The strength of Johnson's playing, however, 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 Electromagnets' demise, Johnson formed
378-563: A monthly music magazine devoted to the guitar, also published their list of 100 greatest guitarists in the book Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time from the Pages of Guitar World Magazine . Different from the Rolling Stone list, which listed guitarists in descending order, Guitar World divided guitarists by music genre —such as "Lords of Hard Rock" for hard rock artists or "Jazzmen" for jazz players. Despite
420-520: A session musician, Johnson continued to perform locally in Austin. Johnson's career rebounded in 1984 when he was signed to Warner Bros. Records . Christopher Cross and producer David Tickle recommended Johnson to the label. His breakthrough appearance at Austin City Limits on July 31, 1984, was recorded and later released on CD/DVD in 2010. The performance of "Cliffs of Dover" from the concert
462-399: A side project called Alien Love Child and played shows sporadically while recording Venus Isle . The positive fan feedback from the shows made Alien Love Child a permanent gig. A live performance recording, Live and Beyond , was released in 2000 on Steve Vai 's Favored Nations label. Alien Love Child featured the vocal prowess of Malford Milligan , an Austin-area musician who fronted
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#1732783105569504-584: A touring trio, the Eric Johnson Group, with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Kyle Brock. They played to audiences around Austin. From 1976–1978, Johnson recorded Seven Worlds , his debut album, at Odyssey Studios in Austin. Contract disputes followed, and Seven Worlds was not released until 1998 on Ark21 Records . Unable to secure a new management contract, Johnson began working as a session guitarist for some well-known acts, including Cat Stevens , Carole King , and Christopher Cross . While
546-594: A whole, the album did not sell well, and Warner Bros. let Johnson's contract expire. He signed on with indie label Cinema Records, distributed by Capitol Records . By the time Johnson released his 1990 Capitol Records debut album, Ah Via Musicom , he was regularly winning awards for his musicianship in the guitar press. During this period, Johnson also drew recognition for the rich, violin -like lead sound he coaxed from his beloved 1954 Fender Stratocaster , which he named Virginia. The album's second track, " Cliffs of Dover ", exemplified his unique sound and won Johnson
588-701: Is an American guitarist , vocalist and composer . His 1990 album Ah Via Musicom was certified platinum by the RIAA , and the single " Cliffs of Dover " won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance . Best known for his electric guitar skills, Johnson is also a highly proficient player of acoustic , lap steel , and resonator guitar, as well as an accomplished bassist , pianist, and vocalist. He plays many musical genres, including rock, blues , jazz fusion , soul , folk , new-age , classical , and country . Keyboard Magazine called him "one of
630-564: The Internet, received nearly 65,000 plays in the first seven weeks after it was made available on mp3.com. Johnson promoted Souvenir with an electric tour in 2003 and an acoustic tour in 2004. Johnson's album Bloom was released in June 2005, on Vai's Favored Nations label. The album was divided into three sections with different musical styles, intended to showcase Johnson's versatility. His December 1988 Austin City Limits performance
672-492: The Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University See also [ edit ] Erik Johnson (born 1988), American ice hockey defenseman Erik Johnson (disambiguation) Eric Johnston (disambiguation) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
714-604: The Southwest. In 2016, he released EJ: Explorations on Guitar and Piano , which was his first entirely acoustic album. He toured the album in early 2017. In 2017, Johnson released Collage , which also coincided with the announcement of a tour revisiting his hit album Ah Via Musicom . In the fall of 2018, he was invited to promote the Fender and Nissan collaboration for car stereo systems designed by Fender Audio. In January 2020, Johnson released EJ: Volume II , which
756-504: The age of 15, he joined his first professional band, Mariani, a psychedelic rock group. In 1970, Johnson and the group recorded a demonstration, which had an extremely limited release. The recording became a prized collector's item years later. After graduating from 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
798-489: The appearance in other magazines like Billboard , this publication by Guitar World was criticized for including no female musicians within its selection. However, Guitar World recently published a list of "Eight Amazing Female Acoustic Players", including Kaki King , Muriel Anderson and Sharon Isbin . Following the death of Les Paul , Time website presented their list of 10 greatest artists in electric guitar . As in Rolling Stone magazine's list, Jimi Hendrix
840-410: The bass. Often adorned with mother-of-pearl inlays, the instrument was once primarily played using the fingertips alone. Over time, however, guitarists began to use a combination of fingernail and flesh to achieve a clearer, more expressive sound, and allowing for many different changes in sound quality (or timbre). This guitar tradition dates back at least to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when
882-441: The bridge pickups in some of his Stratocasters for DiMarzio HS-2 pickups, because they do not hum as much as standard single-coil pickups. Johnson has also played other guitar brands such as Robin , Rickenbacker , Jackson , Maton , and Charvel , one of which appears on the cover of the Ah Via Musicom album. In 2001, Johnson added a Gibson Custom Shop '59 Les Paul Reissue to his collection of guitars. Of note, he no longer uses
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#1732783105569924-679: The eighth edition of the Experience Hendrix Tour highlighting the music of Jimi Hendrix, in March 2014. Johnson returned to the Experience Hendrix Tour in September and October 2014. Johnson and fellow guitarist Mike Stern kicked off their Eclectic Guitar Tour on November 6, 2014, and released an album supporting it on October 27, 2014. In August 2015, he participated in the "Vai Academy" along with guitarists Steve Vai and Sonny Landreth , and also kicked off an acoustic tour of
966-602: The greatest guitarists—for example The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine, or 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World magazine. The first in this list is the American guitarist Jimi Hendrix , introduced by Pete Townshend , guitarist for the Who , who was, in his turn, ranked at #10 in the list. In describing the list to readers, Paul MacInnes from British newspaper The Guardian wrote, "Surprisingly enough for an American magazine,
1008-678: The guitar's sales profit to his father's college, Jefferson Medical College (now called the Thomas Jefferson University). Johnson has also been known to use the Martin D-45 before his signature Martin guitar was released. In 2005, Fender released an Eric Johnson Signature Fender Stratocaster also built to his specifications. This was followed up by the Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Rosewood model in 2009. It featured
1050-427: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eric_Johnson&oldid=1237134974 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Eric Johnson (guitarist) Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954)
1092-465: The local band Storyville , made up of members of Stevie Ray Vaughan 's Double Trouble . In 1998, 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 2003, he contributed a guitar solo on Mike Tramp 's solo album, More to Life than This . The solo
1134-513: The most respected guitarists on the planet" in 2006. Born into a musically inclined family, Eric Johnson and his three sisters studied piano, while his father was a whistling enthusiast. Johnson started learning the guitar at age 11 and rapidly progressed while listening to the musicians who would heavily influence his future style, including Mike Bloomfield , Chet Atkins , Eric Clapton , Jimi Hendrix , Ric Bailey, Wes Montgomery , Jerry Reed , Bob Dylan , and Django Reinhardt , among others. At
1176-568: The relatively quiet instrument. There are many classical guitarists listed as "notable" in their respective epochs. One of the most renowned flamenco guitarists in recent decades was Paco de Lucía . Flamenco music is a popular traditional music associated with the Andalucia region of southern Spain. It is characterized by intricate syncopated rhythms intimately informed by a gypsy dance style. Flamenco guitarists also often accompany flamenco singers performing " cante jondo " (deep song). De Lucía
1218-539: The same specifications as his first signature Strat, the sole exception being that the guitar is a semihollow design, which is a rarity for Fender. The guitar is available in Vintage White and two-color Sunburst, with quarter-sawn maple necks exclusively. In early 2020, Fender announced the Eric Johnson "Virginia" Custom Shop Stratocaster, modeled after a 1954 Stratocaster he owned. The original "Virginia"
1260-766: The same specifications as the Eric Johnson Maple Neck guitar, but with the addition of an unusual three-ply, eight-hole white pick guard, hotter treble pickup, and a bound rosewood laminated fingerboard with pearloid dot position markers . In January 2006, a man named Brian Sparks was arrested for posing as Johnson, and in the process, defrauding businesses out of about US$ 18,000 worth of guitars and equipment. Also in 2006, some of Johnson's guitars that had been stolen 24 years earlier were recovered. 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
1302-579: The success of its predecessor. As a result, Johnson was dropped from Capitol Records. He rebounded with a successful tour from October to November 1996 with fellow guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai . Named the "G3" tour , it resulted in a platinum-selling compact disc and DVD titled G3: Live in Concert . Johnson eventually returned to the recording studio, releasing Souvenir in January 2003 on his own Vortexan Records label. The album, released on
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1344-433: The three years he had spent touring in support of Ah Via Musicom . He also had setbacks involving musical growth and personal issues while recording his next album Venus Isle . Venus Isle was released on September 3, 1996. It was an album with world influences that demonstrated Johnson's growth as a guitarist, songwriter, producer, musical arranger, and vocalist, but the album received mixed reviews and did not match
1386-413: The top 10 is fair jam-packed with Yanks", though he also noted three exceptions in the top 10. The online magazine Blogcritics criticized the list for introducing some allegedly undeserving guitarists while forgetting some artists the writer considered perhaps more worthy, such as Johnny Marr , Al Di Meola , Phil Keaggy or John Petrucci . In 2011, Rolling Stone updated the list, which this time
1428-619: The type of strings used (either nylon or steel ), and including strumming with the fingers, or a guitar pick made of bone, horn, plastic, metal, felt, leather, or paper, and melodic flatpicking and finger-picking. The guitarist may also employ various methods for selecting notes and chords , including fingering, thumbing, the barre (a finger lying across many or all strings at a particular fret), and guitar slides , usually made of glass or metal. These left- and right-hand techniques may be intermixed in performance. Several magazines and websites have compiled what they intend as lists of
1470-488: Was a follow-up to his first acoustic album. On September 12, 2023, Johnson was announced as a part of the G3 2024 Tour along with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani . Johnson is best known for playing the lightly modified Fender Stratocasters and Gibson ES-335 electric guitars through either a Fender or Marshall amplifier , depending on whether he is targeting a clean rhythm, dirty rhythm, or lead tone. He tends to swap out
1512-550: Was also one of the first to have successfully crossed over into other genres of music such as classical and jazz. The cuatro guitar is a family of Latin American string instruments played in Puerto Rico , Venezuela and other Latin American countries. It is derived from the Spanish guitar . Although some have viola -like shapes, most cuatros resemble a small to mid-sized classical guitar . In Puerto Rico and Venezuela,
1554-431: Was chosen as the greatest guitarist followed by Slash from Guns N' Roses , B.B. King , Keith Richards , Jimmy Page , and Eric Clapton . Gigwise.com , an online music magazine, also ranks Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist ever, followed by Jimmy Page, B.B. King, Keith Richards and Kirk Hammett . The classical guitar is traditionally strung with gut or nylon strings for the treble notes, and wound strings for
1596-416: Was chosen by a panel of guitarists and other experts with the top 100 consisting of Eric Clapton , Eddie Van Halen , Keith Richards and Tony Iommi . Artists who had not been included in the previous list were added. Rory Gallagher , for example, was ranked in 57th place. The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time is mentioned in many biographies about artists who appear in the list. Guitar World ,
1638-487: Was distributed in a flexi-disc soundpage in the May 1986 issue of Guitar Player magazine. In May 1986, Guitar Player magazine ran a cover story about Johnson. The article helped promote the release of Tones and brought Johnson critical praise, as well as elevating his profile in the guitar and music community. The album's track "Zap" was nominated for the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance , but as
1680-593: Was featured on the track "The Good, the Sad and the Ugly". In September 2006, 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 controversial 3,500-year history. In September 2007, Johnson participated in a second theatrical production by the same company titled Love In: A Musical Celebration in which he performed
1722-1184: Was made out of sassafras and was featured extensively on Ah Via Musicom and Venus Isle . Johnson generally does not collect guitars, as he is not interested in owning superfluous items. His collection is limited to the best-playing examples of the guitar he finds: Johnson uses effect pedals such as the Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face , BK Butler Tube Driver, MXR KD IV Stereo Chorus, Vox CryBaby wah-wah, ToadWorks Barracuda flanger, Prescription Electronics Experience octave fuzz, Xotic AC Booster, MXR Flanger/Doubler, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man delay, Boss Corporation DD-2 Digital Delay, MXR 1500 Digital Delay, Line 6 Echo Pro Studio Modeler, and up to two Maestro Echoplex tape delays. All of these are connected to multiple A/B boxes to create sounds and tones that are both clean and distorted. Dunlop has also begun selling Johnson's signature Fuzz Face pedal. In late 2006, Johnson switched from recording in analog to digital format. Johnson has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards , winning once in 1991. Guitarist A guitarist (or
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1764-612: 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. On June 24, 2014, Provogue Records released Europe Live , a retrospective of Johnson's work that features two new compositions. One of the new compositions is entitled "Evinrude Fever" and draws inspiration from water skiing and boating. In 1991, Johnson contributed guitar for two tracks on Stuart Hamm 's album, The Urge . In 1994, he formed
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