Eric Johnson - rock

Show & Culture

One of the most outstanding instrumentalists in rock over the past 40 years, Texas guitarist Eric Johnson was already a legend before recording his first album. By the early 1980s, top guitarists were praising the young Austin musician for his mind-blowing chops, with comparisons to Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix. His long-awaited 1986 debut "Tones" brought the underground virtuoso into the spotlight, earning a Grammy nomination for "Zap." With 1990’s platinum-selling "Ah Via Musicom" and the Grammy-winning "Cliffs of Dover," Johnson became an international guitar phenomenon. Praised for his vibrant, expressive playing and recognized by Rolling Stone among the greatest guitarists, Eric is also a dynamic singer, pianist, and prolific songwriter. Since 1986, he has released seventeen albums and collaborated with artists such as Mike Stern, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai, earning eight Grammy nominations and numerous accolades. In recent years, Eric has continued touring extensively, including the Treasure Tour, the G3 Reunion Tour, and the Experience Hendrix tours. His current Texaphonic project explores new blues-rock power trio material and marks a long-awaited return to Europe. Across more than four decades, Johnson’s music has crossed genres from rock and blues to jazz, fusion, classical, and beyond. As he says himself: “It really boils down to the music and the song at the end of the day... the most important thing is to grow musically and make a more meaningful artistic statement with every project.”