Eric Johnson “One of the Most Respected Guitarist on The Planet”
Eric Johnson “One of the Most Respected Guitarist on The Planet”
I first heard his music on a new age station out of Galveston, around 1990. Really
nice instrumentals. I started researching him and found him such a fascinating musician. He’s considered a new age Musician – The Definition of New Age Music – music includes both electronic forms, frequently relying on sustained synth Pads, or long sequences-based runs, and acoustic forms, featuring instruments such as flutes, piano, wind through trees, sounds of nature (like waterfalls, gentle blowing wind chimes, crickets) - and a wide variety of non-western acoustic instruments.
Guitar Magazine, has called Johnson “One of the Most Respected Guitarist on The Planet” his 1990 platinum-selling, full-length album, Ah Via Musicom, produced the single, “White Cliffs Of Dover” for which Johnson won the 1991Grammy Award for best Rock Instrumental Performance.
I’ve really enjoyed him as most of his songs are just instrumentals. I saw he was coming to Houston and had to go see him. I took my boy Jeremy to his 1st Rock Show. The 1st song “White Cliffs of Dover” he was on his knees by his foot pedal waving his hands and creating Vocal Chorus, sounds, all kinds of Reverb, that’s how the Studio song starts but of all the concerts I’ve ever seen I’ve never seen anyone create such incredible sounds like that. I don’t know how the bassist could keep up with him.
He doesn’t do a lot of vocals but did do a couple of songs from his “Tones Album, “Friends” boy the ladies really liked that one. But this guy is very fascinating. He is just a perfectionist I mean tuning his guitar, takes a lot of time, in his album output, he takes a long time and after so long people lose interest in his music you have to strike while the Iron’s Hot. He’s from Austin and knew Stevie Ray Vaughn, and on his album “Venus Isle” he dedicated a very cool finger snapper, called S.R.V.- I had a chance to see him a few months ago in Houston as he was doing a Hendrix Dedication tour, with Hendix’s old Army Buddy Billy Cox, who also played on the Band of Gypsys Album. I didn’t go. I’d rather see Johnson doing his own music instead of someone elses.
I hope you may get a chance to listen to him I’m sure you’ll enjoy him, also the picture below he has a lot of famous fans visiting him backstage.
Thank you. Joseph Terrazas
