The famous musician Eric Johnson is known as an outstanding performer of rock music on guitar and composer. However, he is fluent in vocals and plays the piano.
Eric David Johnson was born into a large family. Of all the older children, three sisters and a brother, the youngest from three years old joined the music. The musician is ready to talk about creativity for hours, but he is of the opinion that personal life should remain unknown to the general public.
Search for the work of life
The biography of the future artist began in 1954. The boy was born in the city of Austin on August 17. Both parents loved the music. Father, an anesthetist by profession, adored jazz and classics, constantly listened to records. Children learned to play the piano. The mobile and active Eric, to the great surprise of those around him, dreamed of practicing from an early age. Hardly had five passed before he joined his brother and sisters.
The family often in full attendance attended the premieres of musicals. The musical taste of Johnson Jr. was gradually formed. He began to write the first songs at the age of 8. The beginning, according to the musician himself, was not brilliant. However, the author himself received real pleasure in the performance of his works. He did not forget the teacher, who perfectly developed the student’s hearing.
Thanks to Orville Weiss, Eric wrote in the comments on the work "Ah Via Musicom". And with every improvisation, again according to the recognition of the musician, he always remembers the teacher. However, Johnson never learned to read from the sheet.
From 10 years old, the boy ceased to like the classics. He became interested in improvisation. In 1964, Eric heard his brother and his band playing the guitar. He was shocked by the ringing and heavy sound of Ventura and Beach Boys. The first instrument appeared in the boy from 11. However, a lot of time passed before he managed to achieve the desired sound. The piano was forgotten. He was replaced by a guitar. The young artist perfected the skill at home without interruptions.
He entered the composition of his first band "The Id" at 13. The novice guitarist had to leave after a long absence due to holidays in Alaska. Colleagues did not wait for his return and found a replacement. The boy did not become upset for a long time: he was invited by several other groups. Rehearsals often ended well after midnight, and Eric fell asleep right on the equipment. Johnson called the best guitar in the world an electric guitar.
The beginning of the path to the peaks
His idol was Jimmy Hendrix. Hearing his game for the first time, Eric considered it overly complex for himself, but could not help but admit that it was a real virtuoso. He did not even try to reproduce anything from the repertoire of his ideal. It took a long time before Johnson decided to play one of the songs. To his great amazement, it turned out that it was impossible to get the same sound as the original. As a result, the musician not only took a little from Hendirks's style, but also achieved his unique sound and developed his own style of play.
In the second half of the sixties, Eric spent a lot of time experimenting with instrumental music. His mentor was Vince Mariani, who remained Johnson's companion for most of his student career. Thanks to Mariani, work on the album was started. In collaboration with Vince, the track "Desert Rose" was written, included in the collection "Ah Via Musicom".
In 1973, Johnson discovered jazz rock and fusion. Throughout the next year, there was training in the implementation of a new direction. Eric's band "The Electromagnets" gradually became known. The band broke up by 1976. Eric decided it was time for vocals. He began work on solo material.
For six months, the musician perfected the technique of the game, and then, together with Billy Maddox and Kyle Brock, the bass player and drummer of the previous group, began a new project. A breakthrough was a six-year contract with Bill Ham. From now on, the musician could participate only in the most high-profile events. Work continued on the new Seven Worlds album. The started trio in the seventies studio album saw the light only in 1998.
The Eighties opened work as a session musician with Carol King, Christopher Cross and Kat Stevens. The guitarist began collaborating with the show "Austin City Limits". The instrumentalist's reference sound was the composition "Cliffs of Dover".
