Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is a guitarist and recording artist from Austin, Texas. Born in 1954, he is associated with blues rock and rock, and is also closely identified with instrumental rock. His playing often combines rock with jazz, fusion, New Age, and country and western elements.

Style and reputation

Johnson is widely regarded as a guitar virtuoso. His sound is described as highly distinctive, with a style that draws on influences including Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, the Beatles, Jeff Beck, jazz, and Chet Atkins. He attracts praise from musicians including Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Prince, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Early work and breakthrough

He appears on the cover of Guitar Player magazine while working with the Texas jazz-fusion band Electromagnets and as a session musician for Cat Stevens, Carole King, and Christopher Cross. A performance on Austin City Limits in 1984 helps set his recording career in motion.

Albums and key recordings

Johnson’s debut album, Tones, arrives in 1986 and combines instrumental pieces such as “Zap” and “Victory” with vocal songs including “Emerald Eyes” and “Bristol Shore.” His 1990 album Ah Via Musicom becomes platinum selling and produces “Cliffs of Dover,” the track for which he wins a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1991. The album also makes him the first artist to place three instrumentals from the same album in the Top Ten in any format.

Johnson’s next studio album, Venus Isle, appears in 1996. After playing the 1997 G3 tour with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and the live release that follows it, he turns toward another live project. Live and Beyond, released in 2000, features a new rhythm section with bassist Chris Maresh and drummer Bill Maddox, and places more emphasis on blues. Guest vocalist Malford Milligan appears on “Don’t Cha Know” and “Once a Part of Me.”

Souvenir is issued in 2002 as an album available only through his website. He then releases Live from Austin, TX and Bloom in 2005 through New West and Favored Nations respectively. Up Close follows in 2010, with a slightly stronger focus on his Texas roots. Eclectic, a collaboration with jazz guitarist Mike Stern, appears in 2014.

Labels and collaborations

Johnson records for Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label, and his later work includes releases associated with New West. He performs and records with a range of musicians across his career, including Roscoe Beck, Tommy Taylor, Chris Maresh, Bill Maddox, Malford Milligan, and Mike Stern. He is also linked with the bands Electromagnets, Alien Love Child, The Avenue, Mariani, Project Terror, and G3.