Danny Johnson

by Jana PendragonDanny Johnson was born and raised in Louisiana, where he was discovered by another one of rock & roll's guitar greats, Rick Derringer. A young Danny Johnson can be heard on four of Derringer's CBS projects, where Johnson's talents are exhibited not only as a budding guitar master, but also as a songwriter and vocalist. Johnson's evolution from son of the South to world-renowned artist included a stint with his own trio, Axis. A contract with RCA followed. Eventually, Rod Stewart became aware of Johnson and offered him the opportunity to write, record and tour with him. The 1981 Warner Brothers release Tonight I'm Yours includes Johnson's haunting style. Over the years, Danny Johnson has been in demand by the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Alice Cooper, country/rockabilly kid Billy Burnette, Danny Tate and Steppenwolf. While he holds an impressive place in the annals of rock history, he also has distinguished himself as a honky tonker, a contributor to the genre of country-blues and a film composer whose credits include Wayne's World, Gremlins II and a ary about baseball hero Nolan Ryan. The result of Johnson's multi-level involvment is a well-rounded artist who can honestly be considered a contributor to the continuation of American roots music. With the release of a 1997 solo project on Who-Doo Records, Grih-Grih Thing, Johnson has entrenched himself and his distinctive style in the consciousness of American music. Noted for his charismatic presence on stage, this future legend tours the world on behalf of his own music, as well as supporting John Kay and Steppenwolf.