Texas guitar sensation Eric Johnson is certainly no stranger to guitar aficionados. His dazzling virtuosity and pristine guitar tone have made him one of the most revered guitarists of all time. He is also one of the most eclectic artists on the music scene today, as his stylistic range includes rock, blues, country, pop, folk, classical, and more. Due to his ability to craft such catchy melodies, his music is accessible to ordinary music fans as well as guitar fanatics. Eric’s numerous recordings have earned him five Grammy nominations (and one Grammy award), a platinum album, and several top 10 instrumental hits like his signature song, 1990’s “Cliffs of Dover.”

This has been a very busy and exciting year for Eric Johnson and his legions of fans, and 2011 looks to be even more exciting. Eric began the year as a performer on the Experience Hendrix Tour, where an all-star lineup of artists joined forces to pay tribute to the legendary music of Jimi Hendrix. At the conclusion of the tour, Eric put the finishing touches on his upcoming CD, titled “Up Close.” This October, Eric went on the road once again with the Guitar Masters Acoustic Tour. As the name implies, three guitar masters (Eric Johnson, Peppino D’Agostino, and Andy McKee) brought their acoustic guitars together to perform and interact on stages across America. And finally, Eric will spend the rest of the year performing with yet another edition of the Experience Hendrix Tour. This is indeed a very busy and exciting time for Eric Johnson.

The Guitar Masters Acoustic Tour recently stopped at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield CT, and the concert more than lived up to its name. Each guitarist performed an individual set, and the show was capped by a finale where all three collaborated to produce an aural feast of acoustic six-string mastery. Since Eric is best known for his blazing electric guitar work, this acoustic concert was quite a departure for him. Shortly before his performance in Ridgefield, Eric stated, “We’ve done several shows already, and it’s been going great! It’s been a lot of fun, we’ve had good attendance, and people really seem to enjoy it. I’ve played one or two acoustic songs on each of my past records, and I’ve been performing a lot of these tunes. I also have a bunch of new music that I’m doing for my section of the show. I’m trying to flesh out some new stuff that I want to record for a solo acoustic record in the future. The new music includes some bluegrass, country, folk, and a little bit of classical stuff.” As Eric performed in Ridgefield, he clearly savored this opportunity to expand his musical horizons.

Now that the acoustic tour has been completed, Eric will once again strap on his Fender Stratocaster for the Experience Hendrix Tour. The next edition will also include performances by Steve Vai, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Ernie Isley, and Living Colour. The performances will be anchored by drummer Chris Layton (of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble), and bassist Billy Cox, who performed with Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. The upcoming tour includes a stop at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods on November 4th at 7:30 p.m., and Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford will make a special guest appearance for this show.

Regarding Experience Hendrix, Eric explains, “They asked me to do it a couple of tours back, and I did it just to see what it was like. I really enjoyed it, and this will be my third time. Jimi was a huge influence on me, and his music has served as a lifelong template for me. He placed a great prominence on the music and its composition, and within that there is great guitar playing. What you take away from it is the musicality and the songs.” Asked about the particular songs he will be performing, he responds, “I’ve done some different songs each time, but I seem to gravitate towards ‘Are You Experienced,’ and I might do ‘House Burning Down.’ I’m not sure what my other songs will be. I might do some duets with other people, and I have a smattering of songs that I would like to do, such as ‘Bold As Love,’ ‘May This Be Love,’ Love Or Confusion,’ and ‘Little Wing.’ I also enjoy playing ‘Like A Rolling Stone,’ which is actually a Bob Dylan piece that Jimi famously performed.” No matter what tunes Eric ultimately selects, his performances will surely do them justice.

Eric Johnson developed a love for music at the early age of five, when he began taking classical piano lessons. By the time he took up guitar at age eleven, he already had several years of music lessons behind him, and he practiced relentlessly. “I pretty much played guitar all day long in my early years, as there was really nothing else to do but just get up and play guitar. Life was very simple then.” Eric also spent a lot of time listening to several different styles of music. “A bunch of different people originally inspired me to play. When I was really little, it was Elvis Presley as well as the Ventures. Then came the Rolling Stones with Brian Jones, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, John McLaughlin, Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Merle Travis, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Simon and Garfunkel.” Eric acknowledges the diversity of these influences by stating that he “had a musical identity crisis of sorts.”

Throughout the 70s and 80s, Eric was a fixture on the Austin, Texas music scene, where he became an underground legend known for his jaw-dropping guitar technique and his amazing versatility. Eric developed a fanatical following, and his admirers included Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, and Steve Morse of the Dixie Dregs, who commented that “Eric is so good it’s ridiculous!” During this period, Eric contributed his guitar work to recordings by Christopher Cross, Cat Stevens, Carole King, and several others. He eventually was signed to record an album of his own, and he released “Tones” in 1986.

Although “Tones” was not a huge seller, it generated a significant amount of media attention that would lead to Eric’s later success. For example, he appeared on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine along with the amusing caption, “Who is Eric Johnson & why is he on our cover?” Any reader who took the time to listen to “Tones” immediately learned the answer to this question. The record was a mix of instrumentals and vocal tunes, and in addition to showcasing his amazing guitar abilities, it revealed that Eric was an excellent singer and a brilliant songwriter. From this album, Eric received his first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for the funky and ferocious “Zap.”

After his impressive debut album ran its course, Eric retreated to the woodshed for the next few years to work on the follow-up that would ultimately become his breakthrough album. He released “Ah Via Musicom” in the summer of 1990, and the record sold moderately for the first few months. However, in early 1991, the blazing instrumental “Cliffs of Dover” began popping up on commercial FM radio stations across the country, and Eric Johnson had a bona fide hit on his hands. Following this came the bluesy “Righteous” and the melodic “Trademark,” and both songs received heavy radio airplay. “Ah Via Musicom” remained on the album charts well into 1992, and it was eventually certified platinum. To top things off, Eric took home the 1992 Grammy award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Cliffs of Dover.” Eric Johnson had truly arrived as an international guitar superstar.

After completing months of touring, Eric took a well-deserved rest from the music industry. He re-emerged in 1996 with “Venus Isle,” and the new record was well worth the wait. Unfortunately for Eric, the music industry had changed considerably in the years immediately preceding this release. Specifically, the rise of Grunge and Alternative music had caused FM rock radio stations to become much less supportive of Eric Johnson’s more traditional sounding music. Although “Venus Isle” was every bit as wonderful as “Ah Via Musicom,” it did not receive the amount of airplay that it deserved. Regardless, the album was well received by Eric’s fanatical following, and record sales were more than respectable.

During this period, Eric joined forces with two other highly acclaimed instrumental guitarists (Joe Satriani and Steve Vai) for the first G3 Tour. This was an unprecedented event, as never before had these three premier guitarists appeared and toured together. The tour produced a string of sellout dates, thereby confirming the enduring popularity of virtuoso instrumental rock guitar music. The blistering performances of each artist were captured for the CD and DVD “G3 - Live In Concert.”

Eric Johnson has since continued to release ground-breaking solo records, and his upcoming release is sure to maintain the high level of virtuosity and eclecticism his fans have come to expect. While Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan, Jonny Lang, and Sonny Landreth make guest appearances on this new record, Eric’s transcendent guitar playing and songwriting will most likely remain the heart and soul of his music. Eric explains, “I have a new CD coming out that I finished about two months ago. It contains fifteen songs of electric music, and it’s called ‘Up Close.’ It’s slated to come out in December, and I really like the way it turned out. It’s cool! I’m three songs into an acoustic CD as well, and I’m going to try to get that going next year.”

2010 has certainly been a very busy and exciting year for Eric Johnson, and it appears that 2011 will continue the trend. “After the second leg of the Guitar Masters Acoustic Tour in January, I’m going to take a little time off. Then I’m going to try to construct a band to go out on tour to support the new record. I’m also going to continue to work on the solo acoustic album.” It is a safe bet that Eric’s legions of fans will have a lot to be happy about in the near future.