I can’t remember how I came across this article, but I recently found a classic article about Eric Johnson from 1986. The article was written around the time of the release of Johnson’s album Tones. Several of Johnson’s contemporaries are quoted in the article, including Steve Morse, Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had this to say about Johnson:

“Few people understand that when the guy was 15, he was playing Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery stuff, and he was doing it right–that’s pretty cool! If the record that he made years ago, The Seven Worlds, had come out at the time it was ready, instead of being held back for the reason of dollars and pennies–someone besides Eric was holding out for too much money for a deal–he would have been as big as Jeff Beck. He would have been very much in the public eye for modern jazz, rock, and fusion. The guy deserves a lot more recognition than he’s ever gotten. Eric is an honest human being, and he cares about everything. Just listen to him and learn.”

I didn’t realize that Johnson’s first album was stalled for so long by management issues. However, it’s good to know that after those early struggles, Johnson finally started to get the recognition he deserved. Of course, now he’s very well known as one of the greatest guitarists playing today, but it’s interesting to read about him at a time when he wasn’t nearly as well known.

For better or worse, Stevie Ray Vaughan is a dominating figure in the blues world. So much so that anyone who picks up a Stratocaster and plays notes from the pentatonic scale is automatically labeled an SRV clone. Anthony Stauffer, who runs StevieSnacks, which is a site that teaches how to play in the style of SRV, knows this all to well. In a recent post titled Blues is More Than SRV, he talks about why you shouldn’t be deterred in playing SRV-style music, if that’s what moves you:

If you want to play like SRV, then by all means, tackle that pursuit with everything you’ve got. Ignore the critics and get all that your heart can hold or your fingers can bear. As you learn to play the music you love, you’ll be more happy than anyone who criticizes, but don’t expect them to realize that. Do it because you love it, not because you want to please anybody.

I couldn’t agree more. There are people who seem to thrive in putting other people down. Don’t let them stop you from doing something you love.

I should note that if you do want to play in the style of SRV, Stauffer’s lessons are the best I’ve seen in explaining how to play in that style. He’s not only an excellent guitarist, but an excellent teacher.