Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is a Grammy Award winning guitarist and… Read Full Bio ↴Eric Johnson (born August 17, 1954) is a Grammy Award winning guitarist and recording artist from Austin, Texas USA. Best known for his success in the instrumental rock format, Johnson regularly incorporates jazz, fusion, New Age, and even country and western elements into his recordings. A widely recognized virtuoso, Johnson's stylistic diversity, technical proficiency, and unique playing style have drawn praise from Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Prince, B.B. King, and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. His critically-acclaimed, platinum selling 1990 recording Ah Via Musicom produced the single "Cliffs of Dover", for which Johnson won a 1991 Grammy award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

(2) Very few musical artists achieve a true signature style -- one that makes comparisons to other musicians impossible. But Texas guitarist Eric Johnson arguably comes as close to this echelon as any musician from the past quarter-century. Like fellow Lone Star State guitarists Johnny Winter, Billy Gibbons, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnson blends the rock style of Jimi Hendrix and the blues power of Albert King. Yet Johnson's wide array of additional influences (from the Beatles and Jeff Beck to jazz and Chet Atkins) makes for a guitar sound as unique as his fingerprints.

"When I first heard Eric," Winter recalled, "he was only 16, and I remember wishing that I could have played like that at that age." Former Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter said, "If Jimi Hendrix had gone on to study with Howard Roberts for about eight years, you'd have what this kid strikes me as." The Austin prodigy appeared on the cover of Guitar Player magazine while working with Texas jazz/fusion band the Electromagnets and as a session player (Cat Stevens, Carole King, Christopher Cross), and a 1984 performance on the TV show Austin City Limits set his recording career in motion.

Johnson's 1986 debut album, Tones, certainly proved that the hype was warranted. Playing with the ace rhythm section of bassist Roscoe Beck and drummer Tommy Taylor, Johnson mixed blazing instrumentals ("Zap," "Victory") with Beatles-influenced vocal tunes like "Emerald Eyes" and "Bristol Shore." Johnson used the same half-and-half format on the 1990 follow-up, Ah Via Musicom, but a trio of the album's tunes surprisingly made him the first artist to have three instrumentals from the same album to chart in the Top Ten in any format (with "Cliffs of Dover" earning Johnson a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental).

But, if Johnson had a perceived weakness, it was the perfectionism that caused four years to pass between recordings. Even in concert, he would painstakingly tune his guitar between songs, by ear, for minutes on end. With the success of Ah Via Musicom, the guitarist admitted to feeling pressure to raise the bar again. But Johnson's studio nitpicking delayed Venus Isle until 1996, and the disappointing CD contained fewer instrumentals and sounded forced.

A stint on the 1997 G3 tour with fellow headlining guitarists Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and its resulting live release, breathed new life into Johnson and sparked the idea of a live album. Overhauling his band for the 2000 CD Live and Beyond, Johnson brought in bassist Chris Maresh and drummer Bill Maddox, and concentrated on more of a blues feel. The guitarist still blended instrumentals with his vocal tunes ("Shape I'm In," "Last House on the Block"), but perhaps realized that his thin voice was too one-dimensional for guttural blues or R&B. Guest vocalist Malford Milligan ignites "Don't Cha Know" and "Once a Part of Me," helping Johnson's blazing debut on Vai's Favored Nations label and reestablishing the versatile virtuoso's status for the 21st century. As Vai himself testified, "Eric has more colorful tone in his fingers than Van Gogh had on his palette."

Souvenir, an album available only through Johnson's website, appeared in 2002, followed by CD and DVD versions of New West's Live from Austin, TX and Bloom, the second album for Vai's Favored Nations imprint, in 2005. Johnson returned in 2010 with Up Close, a studio album that slightly emphasized the guitarist's Texas roots. A collaboration with jazz guitarist Mike Stern, Eclectic, appeared in 2014. ~ Bill Meredith

Good To Me
Eric Johnson Lyrics

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Don't look so sad
I know it's over
But life goes on
And this old world will keep on turning
Let's just be glad
We had some time to spend together
There's no need to watch the bridges
That were burning

Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body
Close to mine
Hear the whisper of the rain drops
Blowing soft against the window
And make believe you love me
One more time
For the good times

I'll get along
You'll find another
And I'll be here
If you should find you ever need me
Don't say a word about tomorrow
Or forever
There'll be time enough for sadness
When you leave me

Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body
Close to mine
Hear the whisper of the rain drops
Blowing soft against the window

And make believe you love me
One more time

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Eric Johnson's song COLUMBIA appear to be about a breakup or the end of a relationship. The singer of the song acknowledges that the relationship is over, but reminds the other person that life goes on and the world keeps turning. They suggest that they should be grateful for the time they spent together and not dwell on the bridges that were burned. The singer encourages the other person to lay their head upon their pillow and hold their body close, listening to the whisper of the rain drops against the window. They suggest that the other person should make believe they love them one more time, for the good times.

Overall, the lyrics of the song seem to be about acceptance and cherishing the memories of a relationship that has come to an end. The singer seems to be encouraging the other person to move on with their life, but also offering comfort and support if they ever need it. The haunting melody and melancholy lyrics create a sense of nostalgia and longing, conveying the bittersweet feelings that often come with the end of a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't look so sad
I can see that you're upset

I know it's over
Our time together is finished

But life goes on
The universe will continue its course

And this old world will keep on turning
The planet will keep revolving

Let's just be glad
We should be grateful

We had some time to spend together
We enjoyed each other's company for a while

There's no need to watch the bridges
We don't have to worry about past conflicts

That were burning
That have been destroyed

Lay your head upon my pillow
Rest your head on my cushion

Hold your warm and tender body
Embrace your soft and gentle frame

Close to mine
Near my own body