Eric Johnson
(born August 17, 1954) is an American guitarist and recording artist from Austin, Texas. Best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, New Age, and country and western music into his recordings. [1]
Guitar Player
magazine calls Johnson "One of the most respected guitarists on the planet." [2] Johnson composes and plays not just instrumental songs but also vocal pieces, and plays piano as well as guitar.
Widely recognized for his guitar skills, Johnson's stylistic diversity and technical proficiency have drawn praise from Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Allan Holdsworth, Larry Carlton, Steve Morse, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, Jeff Baxter, Prince, B. B. King, Rusty Burns, Joe Satriani and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. His critically-acclaimed, platinum selling 1990 recording Ah Via Musicom
produced the single "Cliffs of Dover," for which Johnson won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. [3]
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ERIC JOHNSON TICKETS
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Life and career
Johnson's talent developed at an early age. Born into a musically inclined family, he and his three sisters studied
piano, his brother started his own band in his teens; his father (an Austin physician) was a singing enthusiast. At age 11, Johnson took up the guitar and progressed rapidly through the music of his influences:
Eric Clapton,
Chet Atkins,
Cream,
Jimi Hendrix,
Wes Montgomery,
Jerry Reed,
Bob Dylan, and
Django Reinhardt, among others. His first professional experience came as a member of the
psychedelic rock band Mariani at just 15 years of age. In 1968, Johnson recorded a demo tape with the group which saw extremely limited release; years later the recording would become a prized collector's item.
After graduating from
Holy Cross High School, Johnson briefly attended the
University of Texas at Austin and traveled with his family to
Africa. He eventually returned to Austin, and in 1974 joined the local fusion group Electromagnets. The group toured and recorded regionally, but failed to attract attention from major record labels and disbanded in 1977. However, the strength of Johnson's playing attracted a small
cult following to the group's early recordings, and decades later their two albums were given wide release on
compact disc.
[8] [9]
Following the demise of the Electromagnets, Johnson formed a touring trio, the Eric Johnson Group, with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Kyle Brock. They played to respectable audiences on the Austin music scene, and in 1978 recorded a full length album entitled
Seven Worlds
. Although the album showcased Johnson's considerable playing ability, a combination of contract disputes, financial wrangling, and mismanagement held up the album's release — and Johnson's career — for several years. True to form,
Seven Worlds
was released two full decades later in 1998 on Ark21 Records after Johnson secured the rights to the master recordings
[10] [11]
Unable to secure a new management contract, Johnson nonetheless continued to build his professional reputation by working as a session guitarist for nationally known and regional acts, appearing on recordings by
Cat Stevens,
[12]
Carole King, and
Christopher Cross [13] among others. All the while, he continued to toil on the local scene, thrilling audiences with his flashy-yet-tasteful electric guitar playing. His career rebounded in 1984 when pop superstar
Prince caught one of Johnson's performances on the
public television program
Austin City Limits
. However, despite the story of Johnson being signed to Warner Brothers courtesy of Prince, it was singer Christopher Cross and producer
David Tickle who recommended Johnson to be signed to the label. 1986 saw the release of Johnson's major-label debut,
Tones
with Tickle as co-producer.
[14]
Johnson's May 1986
Guitar Player
magazine cover story "Who Is Eric Johnson and Why Is He On Our Cover" was a successful risky bold move that helped promote the release of
Tones
which brought Johnson considerable praise, if not widespread commercial success, and raised his profile in the guitar and music community.
[15] Despite the track "Zap" being nominated for the 1987 Best Rock Instrumental Performance Grammy Award, the album did not sell well, and soon after
Warner Bros. let Johnson's contract expire. He signed on with indie label Cinema Records which was distributed by
Capitol Records.
[16]
By the time Johnson released his Capitol Records debut
Ah Via Musicom
in 1990, he was regularly winning awards for his musicianship in the guitar press. During this period, Johnson was also drawing recognition for the rich, violin-like tone he coaxed from his vintage
Fender Stratocaster. The album's second cut, "
Cliffs of Dover," exemplified his unique sound and won Johnson a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Ah Via Musicom
was a crossover hit, and was soon certified
platinum. A 5.1 DVD-Audio version of
Ah Via Musicom
was released in 2002 from Capitol Records without Johnson's input, but was soon dropped. Johnson apologized to fans on his website for the DVD-Audio release.
[17]
Johnson is an admitted
perfectionist, and those traits seemed to work against ''Ah Via Musicom
s follow-up release. Unhappy with his recordings, Johnson mastered — then subsequently scrapped — several completed tracks for the new album and delayed its release for a period of six years. In actuality it took three years to complete the album as Johnson had toured for three years supporting
Ah Via Musicom
, and also had to deal with setbacks involving musical growth and personal issues while recording his next album
Venus Isle.''
[18] [19]
When
Venus Isle
was finally released on September 3, 1996, it received mixed reviews and did not match the success of its predecessor. The album at this time has sold 250,000 units and Johnson was dropped from Capitol Records soon after that. It was a unique album with world influences which demonstrated Eric Johnson's growth as a guitarist, songwriter, producer, arranger, and vocalist. The
Venus Isle
title track showcased the talents of musician Amit Chatterjee.
[20] [21]
A successful month long tour from October to November 1996 with fellow guitarists
Joe Satriani and
Steve Vai named the
G3 (tour), resulted in a successful platinum selling compact disc and DVD titled
G3: Live in Concert
.
In 1998, Eric Johnson was among the judges in
Musician
magazine's Best Unsigned Bands competition, along with
Ani DiFranco,
Moby,
Art Alexakis of
Everclear,
Keb' Mo', and
Joe Perry of
Aerosmith.
[22]
In 1994, Johnson had formed a side project called Alien Love Child and played shows sporadically while Johnson was recording
Venus Isle
. The positive fan feedback from the shows made Alien Love Child a permanent gig where a live performance recording,
Live And Beyond
,was finally released in 2000 on Steve Vai's
Favored Nations label, showcasing new songs. The Alien Love Child project helped free Johnson's perfectionism involving recording music and obsessive tinkering with guitar equipment gear.
[23] [24] [25]
Johnson eventually returned to the recording studio, releasing
Souvenir
, an internet release, in January 2002 on his own Vortexan Records. The album received nearly 65,000 plays in the first 7 weeks it was made available on mp3.com.
[26] Johnson promoted
Souvenir
with an electric tour in 2003 and an acoustic tour in 2004.
[27] [28]
In 2004, Eric Johnson was invited by
Eric Clapton to perform at Clapton's successful
Crossroads Guitar Festival. According to Johnson, he was scheduled to perform onstage with Clapton, but the opportunity fell through.
[29]
Johnson's next studio album
Bloom
was released in June 2005 also on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. The album was divided into three sections based on vibe of songs that showcased Johnson's musical versatility.
[30] His December 1988
Austin City Limits
performance was released on both
DVD and
compact disc on
New West Records in November 2005. His instructional guitar DVD,
The Art of Guitar
, (
Hal Leonard Corporation) was also released at the end of 2005.
In January 2006, an individual named Brian Sparks was arrested for posing as Johnson by bilking businesses out of about $18,000 worth of guitars and equipment.
[31] Also in 2006, Johnson's guitars that were stolen 24 years prior, were recovered.
[32]
In September 2006, Eric Johnson took part in a theatrical production titled "Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar" - the first definitive theatrical journey through the guitar’s colorful and surprisingly controversial 3500-year history, filmed by the Adams Entertainment Group. In September 2007, Johnson took part in a second theatrical production by Adams Entertainment titled "Love In: A Musical Celebration" in which he performed a Jimi Hendrix set which paid tribute to the year 1967 "The Summer Of Love."
[33] Also in late 2006 Johnson also took part in a second
G3 (tour) in South America with
Joe Satriani and
John Petrucci.
Johnson's current projects did include an all-acoustic project
[34] and a live video from his 2006 Tour with Joe Satriani.
[35] However these have been shelved, as Johnson is cutting a new studio album at this time.
[36]
His hit single "
Cliffs of Dover" appears in the game
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
. In addition, Johnson is currently a featured instructor at Web site http://www.guitarinstructor.com.
Eric Johnson along with other Texas musicians such as Stephen Burton and Patrice Pike have signed up with Operation Immortality, a project to create a digital time capsule of their DNA and humanity's achievements in the event of global calamity.
[37]
Guitar and equipment
Eric Johnson is best known for playing stock
Fender Stratocaster and
Gibson ES-335 electric guitars through a triple amp setup that consists of
Fender Amplifiers,
Dumble Amplifiers, and
Marshall amplification. The Dumble amp has not made an appearance on his live performances for sometime since and including his best known live DVD at the Austin City Limits. Eric uses effects pedals such as a Dallas Arbiter
Fuzz Face, BK Butler Tube Driver,
TC Electronic Stereo Chorus, Vox Cry Baby wah-wah,
Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Delay, an
MXR Digital Delay, a
Line 6 Echo Pro Studio Modeler, and a Maestro Echoplex tape delay of which all are connected to multiple A/B boxes to create sounds and tones that are both clean and distorted; Although the majority of Eric's setup is predominantly vintage, he has recently started using more modern effects including a stereo chorus made by
AnalogMan .
Eric Johnson occasionally substitutes his pedals for others, sometimes being spotted with a TubeWorks Tube Driver rather than a Butler one. He has also been seen using the Xotic AC Booster as well as a Boss DS-1 and a Smoky Signal Tubeless Overdrive.
Eric Johnson was also responsible for putting the Tube Driver pedal created by Brent Butler on the map which is an essential part of his guitar sound.
[38]
Johnson has also played other guitar brands such as ,
Rickenbacker, and , which appears on the cover of the
Ah Via Musicom
album.
He has also been known to use series wired or 'coil tapped'
Dimarzio HS-2's in the neck and bridge position of his stratocasters; although this setup is not hum-cancelling, it still cancels around 70% of the AC hum.
In 2001, Eric Johnson added a to his guitars of choice.
C. F. Martin & Company released a limited-edition signature in 2003, built to his . Johnson donated five percent of the profits from his signature Martin guitar to Jefferson Medical College as a tribute to his father who attended.
[39]
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation released an in 2005 also built to his . Johnson has also released other signature gear such as GHS Eric Johnson Nickel Rockers Electric Guitar Strings, DiMarzio DP211 Eric Johnson Signature Custom Pickups, and a .
Jim Dunlop also has released an Eric Johnson signature Jazz III plectrum.
Johnson was also featured in a video for .
In late 2006, Johnson switched from recording in analog format
[40] to digital format.
[41]
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has recently released the model. This signature
Fender Stratocaster guitar features the same specifications as the Eric Johnson Maple Neck Strat, except for the addition of a 3-ply mint pickguard, hotter treble pickup and a bound rosewood fingerboard with clay dot position markers (available in colors such as Dakota Red, Tropical Turquoise, Medium Palomino Metallic, and Lucerne Aqua Firemist).
Solo albums
- Seven Worlds
(1978) (re-issue, 1998)
- Tones
(1986)
- Ah Via Musicom
(1990)
- Venus Isle
(1996)
- Souvenir
(2002)
- Bloom
(2005)
- Live from Austin, TX
(2005)
Singles played on
- ''Mariani (1970) Tracks "Re-Birth Day" and "Memories Lost and Found" - Sonobeat 118
- ''Jay Aaron Podolnick (1975) Track "Come In Out Of The Rain"
- ''Christopher Cross (1976) Tracks "It's All With You" and "Talkin' About Her" - Starburst ARC
- ''Bill Maddox - Project Terror (1976) Tracks "In Memory of Buda" and "Thermal Underwear" - E. G. Records
- ''Bill Colbert (1982) Tracks "That Rider Down" and "Mama's Little Baby" - Texas Re-Cord Co
- ''Cliffs of Dover: Flexidisc (recorded July 31, 1984 Live at Austin City Limits) - 1986, Guitar Player Magazine Soundpage
Albums played on
Group albums
- Perpetuum Mobile
(1970) by Mariani
- Electromagnets
(1975) by Electromagnets
- Live and Beyond
(2000) by Alien Love Child
- Electromagnets 2
(2006) by Electromagnets - Vortexan Records
Compilations
- The Austin Christmas Collection
(1980) - "What Child Is This"
- The Austin Christmas Collection Volume 2
(1983) - "What Child Is This" and "Is There A Santa Claus"
- Guitar Speak
(1988) by Various Artists - "Western Flyer"
- KLBJ's Local Licks Live
(1990) - "Camel's Night Out"
- Instrumental Moods
(1991) - "Cliffs Of Dover"
- Guitar's Practicing Musicians Vol 2
(1991) - "Cliffs Of Dover" (Live)
- KLBJ's Local Licks Live
(1993) - "Desert Rose"
- True Voices
(1995) - "At The End of The Day" with Susan Cowsill
- KLBJ's Local Licks Live
(1996) - "S.R.V."
- 13th Millennia Soundtrack
(1996) - Texas World Records
- G3 Live in concert
(1997) by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson
- Merry Axemas Volume 1
(1997) Various Artists - Track #2 - "The First Nowell"
- Guitar Gods
(1998) Various Artists - Track #1 "Trademark"
- - recorded July 8, 1999. Also on KGSR 107.1 Broadcasts Vol. 8 1999
- The Best of Rockline
(1999) - Track 11 - "SRV"
- Moods Box Set
(1999) - "Cliffs Of Dover"
- Rock Guitarist Forever Best
(1999) - Track 4 - "Soulful Terrain" (Japanese Release)
- KLBJ Local Licks Live
- (2001) - Track "Shape I'm In"
- Band Together
- (2002) - Track "Shape I'm In"
- Texas Guitar Slingers Vol. 1
(2002) - Track "Enzo Shuffle"
- Relief Fund Compilation Album Benefiting The World Trade Center
- (2002) unreleased
- Fender Stratocaster 50th Anniversary
(2004) - Track #5 "Trademark"
- Don't Mess With Texas - Vol 2.
(2004) - Track "Boogie King"
- KGSR 107.1 Broadcasts Vol 12.
(2004) - Track "Song For George"
- Austin Music, Vol 6.
(2007) - Track "Sunarround You"
- Keep Punching
(2007) - Track 3 - "Forever Yours"
- Gibson Presents: Hot Tones In High Definition
(2008) - Free Album Download From Oct 6 2008 to Dec 6 2008 - Track #4 "World Of Trouble"
Guest appearance work
- Once Upon a Rock
(1977) by American Peddlers - Track "Circle Song"
- Back to Earth
(1978) by Cat Stevens Track #3 "Bad Brakes"
- Gene Morris
(1979) by Gene Morris - Track "My Friend"
- Pearls
(1980) by Carole King
- Johnny Dee & The Rocket 88's
by Johnny Dee & The Rocket 88's - Track "No More"
- Christopher Cross
(1980) by Christopher Cross Track #9 "Minstrel Gigolo"
- One to One
(1982) by Carole King
- Long Time Friends
(1982) by Alessi - Track #4 "Rise Up"
- Til You Came Along
(1982) by Bobby Giles
- Shake Russell and Dana Cooper
(1982) by Shake Russell and Dana Cooper - Tracks "Waitin' Here For You" and "Goin' Down Judah"
- World Beat
(1983) by Dan Del Santo - Track "Ain't That Askin' A Little Too Much?"
- Pressure
(1983) by Pressure - Track "Save A Little Time"
- Peripheral Vision
(1984) by McColl & Tracey
- Marc Anthony Thompson
(1984) by Marc Anthony Thompson - Track "Recover Gracefully"
- Stand Up
(1985) by Steve Morse Band - Track #5 "Distant Star"
- Street Language
(1986) by Rodney Crowell Track #2 "Ballad Of Fast Eddie"
- Guitar Speak
(1988) by Various Artists- Track #3 "Western Flyer"
- Willie Jones
(1990) by Willie Jones - Tracks "So Long," "Mary Jean"
- Inside Out
(1990) by Jay Aaron - Track #6 "Ronda"
- The Urge
(1991) by Stuart Hamm Track #5 "On Our Dreams" and Track #6 "Lone Star"
- Rush Street
(1992) by Richard Marx - Track "Keep Coming Back" (AOR Mix)
- The Hunter
(1992) by Jennifer Warnes - Track #7 "Lights of Louisiana" and Track #10 "I Can't Hide"
- Rendezvous
(1992) by Christopher Cross- Track #8 "Nothing Will Change"
- Herman Harris & the Voices of Hope
(1993)- by Herman Harris
- Read My Licks
(1994) by Chet Atkins- Track #5 "Somebody Loves Me Now"
- What The Hell Was I Thinking?
(unreleased track) (1994) by Dweezil Zappa
- Wave of the Hand
(1995) by Carla Olson - Track #2 "I'm Tryin'"
- Angelica
(1997) by Various Arists - Track #6 "Ave Maria"
- Merry Axemas
(1997) by Various Artists - Track #2 "The First Nowell"
- Angels, Horses & Pirates
by Little Blue (1997)- Track #1 "Wait Until You Get Here"
- Rosebud
(1998) by Stephen Doster - Track "There Is No Time"
- Walking in Avalon
(1998) by Christopher Cross - Track #4 "When She Smiles"
- Koko's Hideaway
(1999) by Van Wilks - Track #11, "Vanatized"
- Fingers and Thumbs
(1999) by Adrian Legg - Track #1 "Lunchtime At Rosie's"
-
(2001) by Double Trouble - Track #9 "In The Garden"
- More to Life Than This
(2003) by Mike Tramp - Track "On The Good, the Sad and the Ugly"
- A Guitar Supreme, Giant Steps in Fusion Guitar
(2004) by Various Artists Track #1 "Resolution"
- Fusion for Miles, A Guitar Tribute: A Bitchin' Brew
(2005) by Various Artists Track #3 "Jean Pierre"
- Industrial Zen
(2006) by John McLaughlin - Track #2 'New Blues old Bruise'
- Viva Carlos: A Supernatural Marathon Celebration
(2006) by Various Artists - Track #6, "Aqua Marine"
- Hero Shuffle
(2006) by - Tracks #3 "Hero Shuffle" and #8 "Reminds Me of Austin"
- Walk On
(2006) by Roscoe Beck - Track #4 "Together All The Time"
- Grand and Green River
(2007) by Kara Grainger
- The Devil Knows My Name
(2007) by John5 - Track #10 "The Washing Away of Wrong"
- Freeway Jam: To Beck and Back
Jeff Beck Tribute (2007) - Track #3 "Beck's Bolero"
-
(2008) by Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel
- From The Reach
(2008) by Sonny Landreth - Track #4 "The Milky Way Home"
- Bridging The Gap
(2008) by Doyle Dykes - Track #5 "Red Clay"
- Big Neighbourhood
(2009) by Mike Stern - Track # 2 "6th Street and # 8 "Long Time Gone"
Instructional DVDs
- Eric Johnson: Total Electric Guitar
(1990) by Hot Licks
- Eric Johnson: The Fine Art of Guitar
(1996) by Hot Licks
- Eric Johnson: The Art of Guitar
(2005) by Hal Leonard Corporation
Television Appearances and Videos
-
- 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2000. 1999 Clint Black with Special Guests
- ''Carole King - "One To One" Tour [Video] (1983)
- ''Nova - PBS Special - "Nautilus: 500 Million Years Under the Sea" The Chambered Nautilus (1987)
- ''Live at the Bottomline, New York - Japanese Television Broadcast (1990)
- ''MTV Rock 'n Jock Softball - performing "The Star Spangled Banner" (1991)
- ''The Tonight Show - performing "Cliffs Of Dover" (1991)
- Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's "Guitar"
- Japanese Only Release - Warner Brothers (VHS and LaserDisc) (1991)
-
(1993) (Houston PBS Special)
- Chet Atkins and Friends - "Read My Licks"
- TNN Special (1994)
-
(1994) The Baseball Film Project
- G3 Live in concert
(1997) by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson
- Electromagnets: Live on PBS Playback
(1975) re-released on VHS (1998)
- (2001)
- ''House Of Blues [Internet Webcast Live] - Alien Love Child Tour (2001)
- [Internet Webcast Live] - Roy Thomson Hall - Toronto, Ontario
(2001)
- ''Guitar Show - Australian Television Broadcast (2002)
- ''Jennifer Warnes DVD-A from AIX - unreleased (2003)
- Crossroads Guitar Festival
(2004) Warner Brothers
- ''107.7 The Bone Studios Radio Show (2005)
- ''James Burton International Guitar Festival (2005) filmed for a future release.
- Live in Austin, Tx
(2005) NewWest Records
- ''Satriani LIVE (2006) Epic Records
- '' (2006)
- '' (2007)
- ''Anaheim (Live) (2008) - also broadcasted on HD Concert Series.
Video Games
- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007), "Cliffs of Dover"
Eric Johnson Musical Inspirations
Guitarist
Alex Lifeson of
Rush (band) gave a thank you in the liner notes in the
Counterparts (album) to Johnson for being the inspiration for the guitar solo in the song "Cut To The Chase".
Guitarist
Steve Morse recorded a song titled "TruthOla," which is a tribute to
Jeff Beck,
Alex Lifeson and Eric Johnson. The song is on Morse's album "Major Impacts".
Awards and chartings
- Albums:
- * 1991 - Ah Via Musicom
(album) - Grammy - Best Rock Instrumental Nomination
- * 1991 - Ah Via Musicom
(album) - Billboard magazine - The Billboard 200 - (#67)
- * 2006 - Bloom
(album) - Grammy - Best Pop Instrumental Nomination
- Songs:
- * 1987 - "Zap" - (from Tones
) - Grammy - Best Rock Instrumental Nomination
- * 1990 - "Cliffs of Dover" - (from Ah Via Musicom
) - Mainstream Rock Tracks - (#5)
- * 1990 - "High Landrons" - (from Ah Via Musicom
) - Mainstream Rock Tracks - (#31)
- * 1991 - "Righteous" - (from Ah Via Musicom
) - Mainstream Rock Tracks - (#8)
- * 1991 - "Trademark" - (from Ah Via Musicom
) - Mainstream Rock Tracks - (#7)
- * 1992 - "Cliffs of Dover" - (from Ah Via Musicom
) - Grammy - winner - Best Rock Instrumental Performance
- * 1997 - "Pavilion" - (from Venus Isle
) - Grammy - Best Rock Instrumental Nomination
- * 1998 - "S.R.V." - (from Venus Isle
) - Grammy - Best Rock Instrumental Nomination
- * 2002 - (from Live and Beyond
) - Grammy - Best Pop Instrumental Nomination
References
- Pinson, Matt. "Eric Johnson: In Full Bloom" - MusicPlayers.com - 2006-08-06
- Leslie, Jimmy. "On Tackling Odd Meters: Eric Johnson" - ''Guitar Player Magazine'' - August 2006
- "Eric Johnson" - at Grammy.com
- Simon, Scott. "Eric Johnson's Guitar Gets to Austin's Roots" - NPR - August 13, 2005
- Landers, Rick. "Eric Johnson Interview" - ''Modern Guitars Magazine'' - August 11, 2005
- "An Interview with Eric Johnson" - Boston Beats
- Sonobeats Page."Mariani with Eric Johnson"
- Obrecht, Jas."Eric Johnson:An Underground Legend Surfaces" - ''Guitar Player Magazine''- May 1986
- Endres, Cliff."Electromagnets - Selling Jazz to the Schlock-Rock Hardheads" - ''Electromagnets Bio''
- Musician's Friend."Musician's Friend's Artist Spotlight Exclusive Interview with Eric Johnson, Part 1 and 2" - Musician's Friend
- Santiago, James. "Eric Johnson On Seven World's" - "EricJohnson.com"
- Junior, Chris. "Storytime: Eric Johnson" - the ''Medleyville US'' - March 22, 2004
- Willcox, James."StarPolish Interview: Eric Johnson" - ''Starpolish.com'' - November 6, 2003
- Mccoy, Brian. "Guitar hero Eric Johnson finds he still has plenty to learn" - Record Net - September 13, 2007
- Blackett, Matt. "Editor's Note" - ''MusicPlayer''
- Hernandez, Raoul. "Up from the Skies: Eric Johnson's Lifelong Quest" - The ''Austin Chronicle''
- "DVD-Audio Review" - ''HighFidelityReview'' - April 2002
- Hernandez, Raoul. "Austin Chronicle Interview - Part 1" - The ''Austin Chronicle''
- Hernandez, Raoul. "Austin Chronicle Interview - Part 2" - The ''Austin Chronicle''
- Amit Chaterjee Interview - Part 1
- Amit Chaterjee Interview - Part 2
- Weeks, Lisa. "Soundbites", ''Tucson Weekly'', 6 November 1997.
- Levy, Adam. "Eric Johnson Cuts Loose on a Rockin' Live Album", ''Guitar Player'', December 2000
- Vance, Brian. "Eric Johnson: Chasing The Tone Carrot", ''Gibson Guitars Online'', 28 June 2001.
- St. James, Adam. "Eric Johnson: Moving Beyond Perfection", ''Guitar.com'', 26 October 2000.
- Griswold, Susan. "Eric Johnson - Official Biography" -''Fishman''
- Baker, Brian."Magic Johnson" ''CityBeat.com'', 2 July 2003.
- Love, Jianda. "Jianda interview with Eric Johnson" ''SugarMamaPR.com'', 2003.
- Wolf, Sandra. "A New Texas Jam", ''Dallas Observer'', 3 June 2004.
- Leslie, Jimmy. "Obsessive Perfectionist Eric Johnson Is Trying Go With the Flow" - ''Guitar Player Magazine'' - September 2005
- RedOrbit Breaking News
"Man Poses As Grammy Winner to Get Guitars"- January 3, 2006
- "Eric Johnson recovers stolen guitars" - ''ErnieBall.com'' - March, 2006
- Kirby, Dave "The perfectionist Eric Johnson finds artistry in the details" - September 27 - October 3, 2007
- Sculley, Allan. "Don't try rushing Eric Johnson " - the ''North County Times'' - June 22, 2005
- Todd, Andrew. "Eric Johnson at the Grove of Anaheim", ''Vintagerock.com''
- Alvarez, Ted. "Guitar hero Eric Johnson plays in Beaver Creek", ''Vail Daily News'', 24 September 2007.
- "Rock Stars to Send DNA Into Space" - ''EarthTimes.org''
- Roscoe, John. "Tone From Heaven: B.K. Butler Interview"
- "Jefferson Medical College Students to Benefit from Generosity of Grammy-Winning Guitarist Eric Johnson" - ''Thomas Jefferson University Hospital''
- Digidesign.com "Richard Mullen on Recording Eric Johnson"
- Euphonix.com "Guitarist Eric Johnson Adds Euphonix to Studio Arsenal" - December 5, 2006