Justin Johnson

Justin Johnson is widely recognized as a pre-eminent blues guitarist of our time. With a cult following numbering in the millions and endorsements from some of the most respected brands in the music industry, Johnson has firmly established himself as one of the most vital guitarists of his generation.

A prolific producer and guitarist, Johnson has independently released an impressive 12 full-length albums, including three double albums. Justin Johnson's debut album, "Smoke & Mirrors," saw it's official release in March of 2014, as Johnson took the stage to present his signature guitar style to thousands of fans at Port Fairy Folk Festival in Australia, thus ushering in Johnson's first international tour, which spanned mainland Australia and Tasmania, North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Johnson's original song "Midnight at the Crossroads," from that debut album was licensed to Florentine Films for Ken Burns documentary film "Jackie Robinson (2016)" (2016). Johnson's recording of "In the Pines" from the same album was licensed to ad agency Wieden + Kennedy for the "Dodge Brothers" national ad campaign for Dodge Motor Company (2016). Johnson's recording of "Grinnin in Your Face" from 'Smoke & Mirrors' is featured on NPR Back Porch Music's "Best of Back Porch Music Vol. 18: Old Enough to Know Better" (2015).

Johnson's original music has also been licensed to a host of other networks and organizations, such as The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, PBS, and others.

In 2019, Justin Johnson co-wrote, co-produced, and performed the award-winning score for John Carter Cash's short film Dragon Song (2019). The following year, Johnson co-produced, co-wrote and performed on Carter Cash's "Hey Crow" album. The two worked together yet again in 2021 on a collaboration with Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) when the three co-wrote and produced the single "Heart Made of Steel" for the Netflix film "The Ice Road (2021)." In 2020, Johnson acted as session guitarist and co-producer on several tracks for the Johnny Cash "Forever Words" album, putting music to previously unreleased poetry written by Johnny Cash.

In 2017, Justin Johnson collaborated with funk legend Bootsy Collins, acting as co-producer, co-writer, and session guitarist on Collins' "World Wide Funk" album (2017). The two collaborated again on the song "Rollin'" from Johnson's "Drivin it Down" album (2017).

In 2017, Johnson was asked to collaborate on the "For The Love of King" 16 part LP and 12 part CD album series, dedicated to the legacy and revival of the King Records studio in Cincinnati, OH. As part of this expansive project, Johnson contributed to 3 albums, joining music legends such as Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Delbert McClinton, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Knopfler, Ralph Stanley, Bootsy Collins, and others.

Justin Johnson is hailed not only as a performer, but also as a music educator and a promoter of the history and culture of guitar. In response to worldwide demand for instruction in his stylistic approach to guitar, Johnson has released an expansive instructional series on guitar technique and theory.
Johnson is also featured in Strung Together (2015) the feature-length documentary film on American Roots instruments, produced by Jon Miller (2015).