Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
In 1985 Eric Johnson, who was virtually unknown outside of Texas, signed a deal with Reprise Records and recorded "Tones," one of the most auspicious and beautifully played guitar-intensive albums in rock history. Several weeks before its release, Reprise Records sent me an advance cassette of "Tones" and an invitation to interview Eric for a Guitar Player magazine cover story. On February 1, 1986, Eric and I met in Austin for an in-depth interview. As you’ll hear, during part of it I played back guitar snippets from the advance cassette and Eric described how he created those specific guitar sounds. Our cover type, "Who is Eric Johnson & why is he on our cover" caught readers' attention, and we sold tons of issues. "Tones" went on have strong sales, and the track “Zap” was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Here, with Eric's permission, is the "Talking Guitar" podcast of the complete interview.
I hope you enjoy this unique recording, and be sure to check out the other historic interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. To help us continue producing podcasts, please hit that donate button and send some cheer our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar. Thank you!
For dozens more guitar-intensive podcasts, interview transcripts, and articles, visit Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/.
#ericjohnson #tones #jasobrecht
This podcast is copyright 2023 by Jas Obrecht. All rights reserved.
In 1985 Eric Johnson, who was virtually unknown outside of Texas, signed a deal with Reprise Records and recorded "Tones," one of the most auspicious and beautifully played guitar-intensive albums in rock history. Several weeks before its release, Reprise Records sent me an advance cassette of "Tones" and an invitation to interview Eric for a Guitar Player magazine cover story. On February 1, 1986, Eric and I met in Austin for an in-depth interview. As you’ll hear, during part of it I played back guitar snippets from the advance cassette and Eric described how he created those specific guitar sounds. Our cover type, "Who is Eric Johnson & why is he on our cover" caught readers' attention, and we sold tons of issues. "Tones" went on have strong sales, and the track “Zap” was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Here, with Eric's permission, is the "Talking Guitar" podcast of the complete interview.
I hope you enjoy this unique recording, and be sure to check out the other historic interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. To help us continue producing podcasts, please hit that donate button and send some cheer our way: paypal.me/TalkingGuitar. Thank you!
For dozens more guitar-intensive podcasts, interview transcripts, and articles, visit Talking Guitar magazine at jasobrecht.substack.com/.
#ericjohnson #tones #jasobrecht
This podcast is copyright 2023 by Jas Obrecht. All rights reserved.
