Eric's Bio:

Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is a Grammy Award winning guitarist and songwriter widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in history. He was born in Austin, Texas and first joined the band, Mariani in 1968. Their release of one hundred copies of a demo album is one of the rarest of all psychedelic records of that era bringing over $3000 a copy.

He joined The Electromagnets in 1974. Johnson then recorded The Electromagnets album in autumn 1974 and toured with them until their breakup in 1977. In 1977 he worked on an album only released much later, Seven Worlds and signed a management contract which tied him up for five years.

In 1985 he recorded his first solo album Tones which was released in April 1986. In 1987 he quit Warner Brothers and switched to Capitol Records before he recorded his next album in 1988-1989, Ah Via Musicom which was released in March of 1990. In 1996 he recorded Venus Isle and then he formed his second band: Alien Love Child. He formed the band in 1999.

Johnson's technical proficiency on the Guitar often overshadows his musicianship in other areas like vocals and his skill as a pianist. Perhaps most famous for his wide intervals and string skipping runs, he also is associated with his use of the Fender Stratocaster, but has used other guitars such as those by Gibson. Johnson's "ear" is legend; it is said that he can tell what brand of battery is used in his various effects pedals.

Discography:

Solo Projects:
Seven Worlds (1978) (re-issue, 1998)
Tones (1986)
Ah Via Musicom (1990)
Venus Isle (1996)
Souvenir (2003)

Played on:
The Electromagnets (1975) by The Electromagnets
Christopher Cross (1979) by Christopher Cross
G3 Live in concert (1997) by Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson
Live And Beyond (2000) by Alien Love Child

Official Site: www.ericjohnson.com