With this issue, Buddy Magazine celebrates 50 years of covering Eric Johnson’s career. We first wrote about him in the June 1974 issue, when he had just joined Austin’s jazz-fusion ensemble, The Electromagnets. You can read that interview here, starting on page 18. Johnson was also inducted into the first Buddy Magazine Texas Tornado hall of fame, alongside Billy Gibbons, Bugs Henderson, John Nitzinger, Rocky Athas, and Jimmie Vaughan. We called it then, and we are still calling it today. It is fair to say – perhaps “unjournalistically” so – that Buddy staff all hold Eric as rightfully one of the greatest contemporary players in modern guitar history, and we thank him for the reciprocal conversations and contact he has maintained with us for five decades.
By Andrew Daly
Cover photo by Chuck Flores
Other photos by Darleen McAdams and Kate Stow
12 minute read time
With a Stratocaster in hand, an overdrive stomp box at his feet, and backed by any number of vintage tube amps, Austin, Texas six-stringer Eric Johnson has staked his claim via a career spent in perpetual motion.
Of course, most know his iconic track “Cliffs of Dover,” which comes off 1990’s Ah Via Musicom and netted Johnson a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. But if you really want to dig deep, dial back to Johnson’s days with the Electromagnets, when he was a young gun on the Texas scene, or scour through any number of his varied records that are lovingly scattered about his discography.
These days, Johnson is about keeping it simple. Despite just getting off tour with fellow G3 alumni Steve Vai and Joe Satriani—who are decidedly techy, Johnson still relies on a few simple Strats, tried and true tube amps, and his well-worn overdrive pedals.
The word is Johnson has new music in the works, though it’s not ready yet. In the meantime, he’s got a Texas tour to undertake, where he’ll hit many of his favorite haunts while dazzling audiences with his rare blend of laid-back virtuosity.
In the meantime, having just got home from G3, Johnson is kicking back, but not so far back that he didn’t have time for a chat with Buddy, where he dug into his memories of his early days banging around Texas, playing alongside Satriani, and Vai, thoughts on amp modelers, and AI, and more.
You’ve just wrapped up the G3 reunion. What are your thoughts on the experience of regrouping with Steve and Joe?
Yeah, it was really nice to reconnect with Joe and Steve. I hadn’t really visited with them in quite a while. So, it was a real treat just to share some time with them, and some music. It was a good thing.
As a member of the original G3, the three of you are forever linked. Can you give me your perspective on the connection you three share?
Well, I think that we three just enjoy playing guitar and pursuing our guitar dreams as we see them and want to do. We have the same passion for guitar; it’s great to be able to witness Joe and Steve play; they just have so much passion and fun playing. They’re just out there having a great time; it’s kind of what it’s all about—the joy of playing.
What’s a lesson you’ve learned from Satriani over the years and one lesson you’ve learned from Steve Vai?
You know, I think it became really clear to me while I was on this last tour, I mean, to see Joe have so much fun on stage, and also, he’s an extremely consistent player. He (Joe) pretty much nails what he does every night. And I think with Steve, the thing that I kind of enjoyed about what he does is the fact that he’ll take so many chances and just go out into outer space. There’s something cool about that.
G3 aside, as a young musician in Texas, what are some of your memories of coming up?
There’s a lot, you know? I remember being about to do a couple of interviews for Buddy way back in the late ’70s and early ’80s. It was a real trip to be able to do that. It’s cool that the magazine has been around for so long!
What sticks out from those years for you as far as playing?
Just being able to play at all the different places in Texas, and actually being able to make rent, have groceries, and play original music. I don’t know if that’s always possible, but we were always lucky to be able to write music, go out and play, and make enough money to survive. But there are so many memories and just the humbleness of getting in a van and traveling. It was very simple; we didn’t have a lot of crew, and we had to do everything ourselves. It was all about fun and the cool opportunity to play our own music.
Was there ever a time when you thought you might not make it?
Oh yeah, there was. It took a long time and a lot of changing from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C (laughs). Every time a door closed, you’d look for another open door, and I think that was what kept us going. But we never had a problem doing that because we were having so much fun playing, and we loved what we did. Regardless if we had success or not, we always enjoyed what we did.
What was the turning point for you to take it to the next level?
I think it was when we started playing a lot in Charleston, South Carolina. For some reason, we got a foothold there, and that following grew, and we were able to branch out to areas around there. And eventually, we were able to travel to other Southern states, and do halfway decent. That was cool. I also think the first Austin City Limits was important.
And what are your memories of the first Austin City Limits?
I just couldn’t believe that I had the opportunity to be on it. I was really excited about that, and yeah, I was pretty nervous about doing it since it was the first time. I think it went okay, but I’d say the second one we did was probably a little better. But the first one wasn’t too bad. With the second one, I think I played more expansively and opened up a little more.
How would you compare the way you play today versus the way you played back then?
I would say I’m trying to be more open-minded about learning more about music, harmony and theory. I’m trying to learn more about and study other styles of music as much as I can. I always liked different styles, so I’m continuing in that same way. There are types of music I listen to now that I’m trying to learn from that I’d never listened to before.
What styles are those?
Types of music like bluegrass; there’s tons of stuff I’m learning from that. I never used to listen to that stuff years ago, but man, I’m listening to some old-school country stuff, and it’s great. There are some great guitar players who made that music, and some of the acoustic bluegrass stuff is a real wealth of knowledge and a great learning pool. I’m studying all of that and how those guys play and write songs.
Did you ever get to know any of your fellow Texas players back then, such as Rocky Athas?
Oh yeah, I know Rocky. He’s a great player. There were a whole host of guys back then! But Rocky was great; a friend of mine turned me onto him. I remember going to see Rocky play, and he was really into doing all these cool harmonics and getting them off the strings. I’d never heard anyone else do that before.
Another old friend of yours is Roscoe Beck. How did you first meet him?
We’ve worked together on and off for so many years; I first met him when I was in the Electromagnets. He came to see us after he’d just moved to Austin. So, we’ve known each other for a long time. He’s a great musician, a wonderful musical director, producer, and I admire all he’s done. He really does it all. He’s got the whole big picture of music together.
Moving into the modern era, what are some of your thoughts on the guitar tech we’re seeing today?
It’s really interesting where things are going. I think digital technology is really opening up a lot of possibilities, but as far as getting really straightened, organic sounds, I don’t think the new stuff has really caught up yet. But it’s offering some other alternative sounds that are pretty cool.
Can you imagine a time when you give up your tube amp for a modeling device?
I do have an amp modeler; it’s like a new thing that came out in the last year, and I like to mess with it. It’s better than older versions, and I’m interested in pursuing it, but I’m not quite ready to sign off and jump ship on tube amps just yet. But the modelers have some interesting potential, I think.
There is something kind of cool about packing a whole bunch of sounds into one compact device.
Totally. A lot of people say they can hardly tell the difference, and a lot of people are using them who normally would never have done that. So, I think it’s getting better with each passing year.
I’d wager that audience members with untrained ears can’t tell, but musicians are probably missing the push of air that tube amps give off.
Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. It’s a whole different deal. I was actually messing with an amp modeler this morning a little bit, and I don’t know… it’s something to keep around, but I’ll just have to see where it goes. But I do think it’s getting better and will keep getting better. That said, there’s something to be said about the magic of an old tube amp.
Even scarier technology is the advancements in AI. What are your thoughts on an Eric Johnson record being released via AI in 50 years?
Yeah… I don’t want to think about that. I have mixed feelings about it. It’s gonna become such outlaw territory, with no rules or regulations. They’ll be able to take whatever they want—which is already happening—and just make these AI songs. Some people say they’re better than the original artists, which is a little weird. I don’t know… that’s something that I think is gonna get even harder to tell what’s real and what’s AI.
Who are a few of your favorite guitarists?
Oh, that’s hard to say. I love Wes Montgomery a whole lot. And I love Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck, too. It’s hard to pick just one.
Well, let’s say they made an AI Wes Montgomery record and did it “right.” Would that interest you?
I think it would have an ingredient missing. It’ll never be right because they’re sidestepping some vital ingredients. The music might sound okay, or maybe it’ll sound great, but it’s gonna have a different function and meaning. Maybe it’ll be background music for me in a restaurant, but it won’t be something I’d really pay attention to. When you remove someone’s spirit, there’s going to be a big ingredient missing, and I don’t know if I’d be interested.
The human element will be gone; you can’t manufacture that.
Exactly. I think people will pick up on that. On some intuitive level, I don’t think it matters how “good” it is; it’s still gonna be a total facsimile. I don’t know how you would ever, or if you could ever consider it anything more than that.
Tech aside, what are some of your favorite places to play when you’re in Texas?
Oh, well, I love playing the Paramount (Austin); that’s a great place. And on this upcoming Texas run, we’re going to be doing the House of Blues in Dallas and Houston. I love both of those spots. But also, the Aztec Theater in San Antonio is a nice place to play that’s also pretty cool.
But there are a few spots that are gone, like Liberty Lunch in Austin, which was a great place. It’s too bad it’s gone. There was also a club that’s gone called Steamboat, which was a whole lotta fun; we used to play there back in the Electromagnet days.
Last one. Are you working on new music?
I want to start making a new record, which I think is gonna be more of a straight-ahead record. I want to do something that’s more simply done, and hopefully, has little to no effects. I want it to be a straight-up record done like they did back in the 1940s, you know? I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do without a lot of extra stuff and focusing on just simplicity.
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