
Johnny Sharp
Johnny is a regular contributor to Prog and Classic Rock magazines, both online and in print. Johnny is a highly experienced and versatile music writer whose tastes range from prog and hard rock to R’n’B, funk, folk and blues. He has written about music professionally for 30 years, surviving the Britpop wars at the NME in the 90s (under the hard-to-shake teenage nickname Johnny Cigarettes) before branching out to newspapers such as The Guardian and The Independent and magazines such as Uncut, Record Collector and, of course, Prog and Classic Rock.
Latest articles by Johnny Sharp

The 40 greatest Yes songs ever
By Jerry Ewing, Grant Moon, Chris Roberts, Johnny Sharp, David West last updated
In Prog Magazine's biggest ever reader vote, you chose your favourite ever Yes songs

Dion calls upon the celebrity guest list once more on the lively Stomping Ground
By Johnny Sharp last updated
Dion the wanderer roams with Billy Gibbons, Eric Clapton and more on Stomping Ground

Introducing Ghost Hounds: southern rock with a masterful swagger
By Johnny Sharp published
Pittsburgh blues rockers Ghost Hounds specialise in sounds both timeless and priceless

Steve Perry's The Season is not a Christmas gift that keeps giving
By Johnny Sharp published
The Season finds reanimated Journey man Steve Perry having a crack at some festive faves

Nashville bluesman JD Simo weaves a tangled web on Mind Control
By Johnny Sharp published
JD Simo's Mind Control follows the blues down more experimental paths than most guitar heroes

The Pineapple Thief continue to captivate on Nothing But The Truth
By Johnny Sharp published
Post-proggers The Pineapple Thief's Nothing But The Truth captures livestreamed lockdown shows on a range of formats

The Record Company branch out on Play Loud with mixed results
By Johnny Sharp published
Bluesy Californians’ The Record Company try to broaden their appeal on third album Play Loud

The Stranglers: Dark Matter and the death of Dave Greenfield
By Johnny Sharp published
Forty-four years on from their first hit and almost 10 since their last album, The Stranglers have weathered storms and return with a new record dedicated to late keyboard player Dave Greenfield

The Wildhearts' new album is stuffed with energy, anger, humour and artistic invention
By Johnny Sharp published
Revitalised genre agnostics The Wildhearts take the kitchen sink and run with it on 21st Century Love Songs

Maritime mischief: pirate radio's rock'n'roll revolution
By Johnny Sharp last updated
Superstar DJs, murder, mayhem... and swearing parrots. This is the story of how pirate radio sparked a rock’n’roll revolution in the '60s

Blacktop Mojo shine on album of arena-sized anthems
By Johnny Sharp published
Blacktop Mojo's self-titled album is the Texans’ fourth collection of 'southern grunge', and it's stuffed with melodic peaks

Thrills to the fore as Dee Snider's Leave A Scar rages hard
By Johnny Sharp published
Glam veteran Dee Snider continues his renaissance as a born-again metal crusader on Leave A Scar

20 year's on, the sonic universe of Opeth's Blackwater Park still sparkles
By Johnny Sharp published
Out now: Scandinavian prog-metal eclecticists Opeth's flagship statement Blackwater Park reissued

Death-defying, Covid-defying, age-defying: Toto just keep getting bigger
By Johnny Sharp published
Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams on their new live DVD and the future of Toto

Ayron Jones: the new sound of Seattle
By Johnny Sharp published
Seattle guitar ace Ayron Jones is channelling a tough upbringing into a big, bad, grungy, bluesy rock noise, all the while battling racial stereotypes

Blackberry Smoke do Georgia proud once again
By Johnny Sharp published
Out now: Atlanta rockers Blackberry Smoke blend rhinestones and rock’n’soul with reliable skill on seventh studio album You Hear Georgia

Frost* - Day And Age Review
By Johnny Sharp published
Not yet ratedYou want it darker? Jem Godfrey’s modern prog mavericks return to gleefully rail at the world, dripping cynicism, contempt and some of the most galvanising tunes you’ll hear this year.

The making of IQ's Tales From The Lush Attic
By Johnny Sharp published
Self-produced and chaotically mixed in five days, this is how 80s prog rockers IQ made their 1983 debut album

Is Laura Meade the most dangerous woman in America?
By Johnny Sharp published
The Izz singer’s second solo LP is a captivating concept set – with a message open to your interpretation

Greta Van Fleet come into their own during The Battle At Garden's Gate
By Johnny Sharp last updated
Out now: Much-hyped Michigan siblings Greta Van Fleet diversify successfully on second album The Battle At Garden's Gate

The Treatment double down on boogie-metal basics on Waiting For Good Luck
By Johnny Sharp last updated
Cambridge rockers The Treatment have no qualms about signing up for some dumb fun on Waiting For Good Luck
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