Born in Austin, Texas in 1954, Eric Johnson is ranked among the all-time great Texas guitar slingers. His dazzling 1990 showpiece Cliffs Of Dover won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, and made him a shoo-in for the third spot (alongside Steve Vai) when Joe Satriani launched the G3 tour six years later. Guitar pyrotechnics can be taken as read, but as Johnson’s choices below confirm, there’s far more to his palette than shred.
The first music I remember hearing
My dad used to play a lot of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington around the house. But as far as rock’n’roll, I remember being about four years old and hearing Elvis’s (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear. I still love his music.
The first guitar riff I mastered
I begged my dad for a white Fender Musicmaster, and the first song I learnt was Your Cheatin’ Heart by Hank Williams. But that’s just chords. My first riff was Out Of Limits by The Ventures. Was I instantly brilliant at guitar? Oh no. It’s always been a struggle. If I’ve hit anything decent over the years, it’s because I’ve grovelled and really tried to learn it. I don’t think it ever comes for free.
The first song I performed live
I was probably thirteen years old. Now, playing guitar is mainstream, but back then it was rebellious to play loud music and grow your hair out. We played at a party, and people were barely listening, but I remember the whole setlist: (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay, Gloria, You’re Gonna Miss Me, and Splash by the 13th Floor Elevators. Steppenwolf’s Born To Be Wild was a big one for us.
The guitar hero
I totally remember hearing Are You Experienced [1967] for the first time. It was like somebody had landed from outer space. Hendrix is timeless. But if you put that album in perspective of when he came out, nobody was doing that. It was so revolutionary – all this feedback and fuzz – that I didn’t even know if it was guitar. At first, that record was kinda over my head. I wasn’t even sure if I liked it. But the more I listened, the more I realised how great it was.
The singer
Sam Cooke. Just his soulfulness and intonation, all the little nuances he put in. The way he delivered a song like You Send Me, it just drew you in. And he spawned a lot of great singers after him too.
The songwriter
Joni Mitchell is one of them. I love Ladies Of The Canyon [1970] or Clouds [1969], and For Free is one of the most emotional songs I’ve ever heard. Her guitar tunings sound so fresh. I started listening to her in high school. I wasn’t very cool at that age. I was just this strange geezer, and I was becoming more withdrawn, because I was just waiting to get out so I could go play music.
The greatest album of all time
Stevie Wonder’s Music Of My Mind, for the vibe, the writing and his musicality. It’s a record I’ve been listening to my whole life and I’ve never gotten tired of it, because the feeling behind the notes is so strong. It makes you take a fresh look at your instrument, instead of just being stuck in the ABCs of guitar.
The best live act I've seen
I always knew Queen was great live, and I’d kinda heard their music on the periphery, but I have a friend that knows their stuff verbatim. And about five years ago she said: “Hey, you gotta come to this show.” The songs, the musicality, the production, the stage set-up, the sound – everything was just world-class.
My rock anthem
Summer Of ’69 or Run To You from Bryan Adams’s Reckless [1984]. That’s the perfect driving music. He’s got just the right amount of distortion on his voice, and [producer] Bob Clearmountain captured a magic emotion – it feels like you’re a kid and the whole world is ahead of you. I know those songs have been played a bunch, but when they come on it’s like: “I’m sorry, we gotta crank the stereo”.
My cult hero
I would say Free. I mean, they were big. But they did that record Highway [1970], and I’ve read they were very disheartened and broke up soon after that, because they put so much heart and soul into it and it didn’t get the success and attention it deserved. I think it’s a pop masterpiece.
The cover version
All Along The Watchtower. It was a great song that Dylan wrote, but what Hendrix did to it was amazing. I mean, you can learn the lead lines, but Jimi played them with such soul and emotion. And it’s the little nuanced rhythm things he’s doing in between the vocals. You might think: “Oh, I can play that”. But it’s so hard to get that vibe and pocket it just right.
The song I want played at my funeral
Well, I’m gonna be cremated, so I think I’ll have ’em play Elvis’s Hunk Of Burning Love. I could even get an Elvis impersonator, and he can be up there going: ‘He’s just a hunk, a hunk of burning love’, and I can be, like, going up in flames. I think that answer is even more morbid than your question was!
