Texan, singer, songwriter, producer and guitar player extraordinaire Eric Johnson will be launching his worldwide tour from Florida. Johnson will be performing at five different Florida venues before traveling to the Netherlands, UK and Italy. The tour returns back to the U.S. in August. The tour kicks off in Pensacola on June 26th with a stopover in Clearwater at the Capitol Theatre on Saturday June 30th. For tickets visit www.rutheckerdhall.com.
Eric Johnson released his sixth studio album in late 2010 entitled Up Close. The 15-track disc features guest performances by Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan, Sonny Landreth, Jonny Lang and Malford Milligan .The recording is also available on 12 inch vinyl at www.ericjohnson.com.
Eric Johnson began playing guitar at the age of 11. He played with his first touring band in 1968, a psychedelic group called Mariani. The band shared the bill with ZZ Top and Bloodrock in their home state of Texas. Johnson was trained in classical music but was heavily influence by the guitar styles of Jimi Hendrix and hard rock rhythms of Led Zeppelin. In 1974, he joined a rock/jazz fusion group called The Electromagnets. The Magnets shared the stage with bands like Kiss and Mahogany Rush.
Eric Johnson recorded Seven Worlds his first solo album after the band's break up.
Johnson later became a highly sought session guitarist working with legendary artists Cat Stevens, Carole King and Christopher Cross to name a few. In 1986, his critically acclaimed album Tones landed him on the front cover of Guitar Player Magazine. The cover story about Johnson heightened his credentials in the music world and brought the virtuoso critical praise. The album's track "Zap" was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
In 1990, Eric Johnson released his platinum selling third album Ah Via Musicom. His illustrious recording of "Cliffs of Dover" won him a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. ("Cliffs of Dover" currently has almost 9-million views on You Tube).
In 2005, Eric Johnson's fifth studio release Bloom generated a fifth Grammy Award Nomination. Johnson was invited to play on Joe Satriani's G3 Tour, The Crossroads Guitar Festival and the Experience Hendrix Tour. Johnson can please any audience because he enjoys playing any genre. He's usually spotlighted for his electric performances, but Johnson is an exceptional acoustic player as well. I had the opportunity to chat with Eric this week about the tour and his intensifying career.
Here's my interview with the Grammy Award winning guitar virtuoso, singer, songwriter and producer Eric Johnson.
Ray Shasho: Eric, thank you for being on the call today, how's everything in Texas?
Ray Shasho: So you're headed over to Florida pretty soon?
Ray Shasho: It's a rarity that major tours get launched from Florida, was there a specific reason you chose us … just got good vibes maybe?
Ray Shasho: I'd hate to imagine younger generations not wanting to learn about previous music eras, artists and cultures. I knew all about my parent's generation and actually embraced it. I saw Sinatra and his incredible band five times in concert.
Ray Shasho: I'm guessing you don't like to commit to playing a certain genre of music… and prefer it that way?
Ray Shasho: So Eric … how many guitars do you own?
Ray Shasho: I was always fascinated by musicians who tinkered with their equipment and experimented to create new sounds. How involved do you get personally in reinventing the wheel?
Ray Shasho: Do you have a signature guitar or amplifier developed and out there?
Ray Shasho: I noticed that "Cliffs of Dover" currently has almost 9-million views on You Tube. Would you say that "Cliffs of Dover" was kind of like your "Stairway to Heaven?
Ray Shasho: The Alien Love Child was a very successful side project.
Ray Shasho: You were invited to play on the G3 Tour a bunch of times and also invited to play at The Crossroads Guitar Festival. Who were some of the artists that you shared the stage with?
Ray Shasho: I knew you were playing guitar professionally at an early age, but wasn't aware that you toured with so many legendary bands.
Ray Shasho: If given the opportunity…what artist would you like to collaborate with?
Ray Shasho: Eric, I hope to see you in Clearwater on June 30th and I may just write a review of the show.
Ray Shasho: I sure will …thanks' Eric see you in Florida.
Eric Johnson's Florida concert dates … June 26- Pensacola, June 27 -Ponte Vedre, June 28- Orlando, June 29- Ft Lauderdale, June 30- Clearwater.
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