Jazz Articles about Richard Leo Johnson

Richard Leo Johnson and Gregg Bendian: Who Knew Charlie Shoe?

by John Kelman
December 17, 2007

Talk to most guitarists and you'll find self-admitted gear heads looking for the latest and greatest--or, conversely, vintage--instruments, representing unparalleled craftsmanship. Still, guitarists like ex-Ry Cooder and Jackson Browne collaborator David Lindley revel in finding old instruments that may be cheap but possess unmistakable character. Guitarist Richard Leo Johnson continues the story begun on The Legend of Vernon McAlister (Cuneiform, 2006) with Who Knew Charlie Shoe?, finding great and surprising beauty in dime-a-dozen instruments.

Folklore has ...

Richard Leo Johnson: The Legend of Vernon McAlister

by John Kelman
March 8, 2006

One look at the cover of guitarist Richard Leo Johnson's latest album, with its sepia-toned photograph of a serious-looking Johnson seated with a Duolian steel-bodied guitar, and you might expect a radical departure from Poetry of Appliance (Cuneiform, 2004). And you'd not be far from wrong. Unlike Johnson's last record, which featured his esoteric working trio and a multiplicity of guitars, The Legend of Vernon McAlister is a true solo album--one man, one guitar.

Equally, the Americana of “Morning Glory, ...

Richard Leo Johnson: Poetry of Appliance

by John Kelman
December 17, 2004

With only three records to his name-- Fingertip Slip (Blue Note, '99), Language (Blue Note, '00), and now his new release, Poetry of Appliance --guitarist Richard Leo Johnson has managed to create a small but vital body of work that combines the best of Ralph Towner, Leo Kottke, Steve Tibbetts and Michael Hedges. Working mainly on acoustic guitar, and a double-neck one that has both six and twelve-string variants to boot, Johnson has evolved a self-taught style that, like the ...

Richard Leo Johnson: Language

by AAJ Staff
January 22, 2003

Picking up where he left off with his solo debut Fingertip Ship, Richard Leo Johnson takes his solo guitar lines through a variety of sounds and styles, backed vicariously by a talented group of musicians which includes drummer Matt Wilson, Govt. Mule guitarist Warren Haynes and a brief guest spot by Johnson’s ten-year-old daughter Tess.

Instead of gathering his musical heroes and friends in his studio, Johnson sent each of his collaborators his or her own tape ...

Richard Leo Johnson: Fingertip Ship

by AAJ Staff
January 21, 2003

Self-taught and self-tuned, guitarist/photographer Richard Leo Johnson takes listeners on a thirteen-part voyage on his Fingertip Ship. Though he pays tribute to Jazz legends Tony Bennett, Stephane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt and Jaco Pastorius and explores the feelings of Pink Floyd and The Who, Johnson’s technique, style and delivery are unlike any other performer. Often hitting the frets without knowing exactly what "key" he may be in (if any), Johnson’s intuitive and idiosyncratic approach ranges from the delicate and spare to ...

Richard Leo Johnson: Fingertip Ship

by Matthew S. Robinson
August 1, 2001

Self-taught and self-tuned, guitarist/photographer Richard Leo Johnson takes listeners on a thirteen-part voyage on his Fingertip Ship. Though he pays tribute to Jazz legends Tony Bennett, Stephane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt and Jaco Pastorius and explores the feelings of Pink Floyd and The Who, Johnson’s technique, style and delivery are unlike any other performer. Often hitting the frets without knowing exactly what “key" he may be in (if any), Johnson’s intuitive and idiosyncratic approach ranges from the delicate and spare to ...

Richard Leo Johnson: Language

by Jim Santella
December 1, 2000

Because of its location, Nashville did not become a center for jazz or blues, as did Memphis and St. Louis. Instead, the Tennessee hub has become a city known for quite a few things in general and its country-western music theme in particular. Arkansas-born guitarist Richard Leo Johnson, 44, has spent some time in Nashville and recognizes the melting-pot nature of its culture. Bluegrass, folk, Celtic music and continental European elements show up on Language. While Johnson’s debut album last ...