His
name is Michael Johnson. He has no plans to put on a cowboy hat, affect
an accent, wear one
glove or be anyone but himself. Moreover, he is "The" Michael Johnson, and
he has performed and lived more music and recorded more hits than you would
imagine.
His
voice immediately identifies him as the man who sings "Bluer Than
Blue",
"Give Me
Wings", "That's That", "This Night Won't Last
Forever" and other landmark songs. His
music shows a diversity, depth and heart that only come from years of
dedication to a labor of love.
When
asked what he would have you know about himself, Michael says: "Tell
them that I love
it." He started playing at age thirteen and just never quit. Singing,
playing, writing and recording are the only things he's ever done and he loves
it.
"Tell
them I play guitar." He really plays guitar. He studied in Barcelona
and he plays on all
his records with a unique and distinctive style. His playing is an
important part of his show.
"I
am a soloist at heart." Michael often performs alone, and he has elevated
the art. He prefers
the intimacy and spontaneity of a show that can change with the moment.
"Tell
them I'm a showman. I like to talk to people and I love to make them
laugh. And, of
course, I have to move them with the music. That's the whole thing. Without that,
there is no reason to be on stage."
What
one remembers of Michael is the texture of his voice, the meaning of
the lyric and the
music of the guitar - singer, song and sound. And the
feeling
of being at home with a friend.
Read
more about Michael Johnson at his official website:
http://www.mjblue.com/
Michael
Johnson -
There Is A Breeze
"The first release"
The Tracks are:
Pilot Me, In Your
Eyes, There Is A Breeze, See You Soon, Old Folks, Rooty Toot Toot For The
Moon, My Opening Farewell, Got You Covered, On The Road,
Study
In E Minor, Happier Days & You've Got To Be Carefully Taught.
Musicians on the There Is A Breeze album:
Michael
Johnson, Chris Dedrick, Phillip Markowitz, Gordon Johnson, Ted Moore, Leo Kottke,
Gary Gauger, George Ricci, Margaret Ross, Jerry Niewood,
Ralph
Towner, Russell George & Ron Zito.
Available from
Atco Records/Original release year: 1973
Michael
Johnson -
For All You Mad Musicians
"To all the mad musicians"
The Tracks are:
Troubled For You,
Cain's Blood, Love And Sex, The Good Life, The Gypsy In The Photograph,
Walk Me Round Your Garden, Hello, Goodbye, May You Never, Take My Body Home,
Poor Little Robin, To Feel A Friend, The Glory & Here
Comes
The Sun.
Musicians on the For All You Mad
Musicians album:
Michael
Johnson, Mark Henley, Tab Laven & Herb Philhofer.
Available from
Sanskrit Records/Original release year: 1975
Michael
Johnson -
There Is A Breeze
"Sanskrit Records release of the first album"
The Tracks are:
Pilot
Me, In Your Eyes, There Is A Breeze, See You Soon, Old Folks, Rooty
Toot Toot For The
Moon, My Opening Farewell, Got You Covered, On The Road,
Study
In E Minor, Happier Days & You've Got To Be Carefully Taught.
Musicians on the There Is A Breeze album:
Michael
Johnson, Chris Dedrick, Phillip Markowitz, Gordon Johnson, Ted Moore, Leo Kottke,
Gary Gauger, George Ricci, Margaret Ross, Jerry Niewood,
Ralph
Towner, Russell George & Ron Zito.
Available from
Sanskrit
Records/Original release year: 1976
Michael
Johnson -
Ain´t Dis Da Life
"3rd album
release"
The Tracks are:
O.B. Glad, Lucky
Stars, Movin In The Same Circles (Damn It All), Time Sweet Time, Our
Snowflake Dreams, Ain't Dis Da Life, Circle Of Fifths, Chicken
Road,
High On The Border & Mr. Arthur's Place.
Musicians on the Ain´t Dis Da Life James album:
Michael Johnson, Jim
Johnson, Bill Peterson, Dave Williamson, Gary Gauger, Jeff Gilkinson,
Robert Greenidge, Ted Sherman, Jeff Harrington, Mark Henley, Ramuald Teco,
Tamas Strasser, Bruce Allard, Anthony Elliot, Dave Karr & Tony
Elliot.
Available from
Sanskrit
Records/Original release year: 1977
Michael
Johnson -
The Michael Johnson
Album
"The Johnson album"
The Tracks are:
Sailing
Without A Sail, Foolish, Dancin' Tonight, Two In Love, Ridin' in the
Sky, Bluer Than
Blue, Almost Like Being In Love, Twenty-Five Words Or Less,
Gypsy
Woman & When You Come Home.
Musicians on the The Michael Johnson album:
Michael
Johnson, Shane Keister, Mike Leech, Kenny Malone, Farrell Morris, Steve Gibson,
Sheri Kramer, Jack Williams, Jon Goin, Buddy Skipper, Bobby Ogdin, Bill
LaBounty, Don Sheffield, Roger Bissell, Lisa Silver, Diane
Tidwell,
Norbert Putnam, Roger Williams & Shelly Kurland.
Available from EMI Records/Original release year:
1978
Michael
Johnson -
Dialogue
"A dialogue with Michael Johnson"
The Tracks are:
This
Night Won't Last Forever, Let This Be A Lesson To You, The Very First
Time, Drops of
Water, I'll Always Love You, Doors, Blackmail, She Put The
Sad
In All His Songs, I Just Can't Say No To You & Dialogue.
Musicians on the Dialogue album:
Michael
Johnson. Shane Keister, Bobby Ogdin, Jack Williams, Kenny Malone, Farrell
Morris, Steve Gibson, Jon Goin, Sheri Kramer, Diane Tidwell, Greg Gordon,
Del Newman, Randy Goodrum, Billy Puett, Norm Ray, Dennis Good, Don
Sheffield,
Patti Leatherwood, Bergen White, Mike Leech, Buddy Skipper, David Sanborn,
Tom Malone, John Gatchell, Danny Cahn, The Shelley Kurland Section,
Tom
Snow & Bob Taylor.
Available from EMI Records/Original release year: 1979
Michael
Johnson -
You Can Call Me Blue
"Michael Johnson is Mr. Blue"
The Tracks are:
You
Can Call Me Blue, After You, Savin' It Up, You You You, Blame it On The
Rain, Right
Through The Heart, Don't Ask Why, Staying With It, You Sure
Fooled
Me & Empty Hearts.
Musicians on the You Can Call Me Blue album:
Michael
Johnson, Shane Keister, Bobby Ogdin, Bob Wray, Roger Clark, Steve Gibson, Jon Goin,
Jay Patton Terry McMillan, Marie Clark, Greg Gordon, Tom Snow, Jack
Williams, Kenny Malone, Farrell Morris, Mark Phillips, The Shelly
Kurland
String Section & Del Newman.
Available from EMI Records/Original release year:
1980
Michael
Johnson -
Home Free
"Michael
Johnson is home free"
The Tracks are:
You're Not Easy To
Forget, The Love She Found In Me, Rosalee, The Power
(This Love Has
Over Me), I Can't Get to You From Here, Home Free, Just One
Look,
Love Me Like The Last Time, Leave It Alone & Let Me Go Back Home.
Musicians on the Gorilla album:
Michael
Johnson, James Stroud, Tom Robb, Randy McCormick, Larry Byrom,
Mickey Buckins,
Jay Scott, Jay Dee Maness, Terry McMillan, Earl Dumler,
Maxine Waters
Willard, Julia Waters Tillman, Oren Waters, Luther Waters,
Marti McCall,
Sheri Huffman, Diane Tidwell, Lisa Silver, Richard Mainegra,
Dennis
William Wilson, Steve Dorff, Randy McCormick & Jimmy Getzoff.
Available from
EMI Records/Original release year: 1981
Michael
Johnson -
There Is A Breeze
"EMI Records release of the first album"
The Tracks are:
Pilot
Me, In Your Eyes, There Is A Breeze, See You Soon, Old Folks, Rooty
Toot Toot For The
Moon, My Opening Farewell, Got You Covered, On The Road,
Study
In E Minor, Happier Days & You've Got To Be Carefully Taught.
Musicians on the There Is A Breeze album:
Michael
Johnson, Chris Dedrick, Phillip Markowitz, Gordon Johnson, Ted Moore, Leo Kottke,
Gary Gauger, George Ricci, Margaret Ross, Jerry Niewood,
Ralph
Towner, Russell George & Ron Zito.
Available from EMI Records/Original release year:
1981
Michael
Johnson -
Lifetime Guarantee
"Michael
Johnson is givin´a lifetime guarantee"
The Tracks are:
There's
A Love, If You Can't Feel Love, Lifetime Guarantee, We Can Live On
Love (Baby You're
Just Like Me), I'm Gone, Q.T., Temptation, Who's That Look
In
Your Eye, City Of The Angels & I Still Love You.
Musicians on the Lifetime Guarantee album:
Michael
Johnson, Rob Mounsey, Andy Newmark, Wayne Pedzwater, Randy Waldman,
Nick Moroch, Ray
Bardani, Gordon Grody, Kurt Yaghijan, Jeremy Lubbock,
Harvey Mason, Dave
Boroff, Steve Foreman, Nick Uhrig, Marc Piscitelli,
Roscoe Beck, Jay
Winding, Chris Montan, George Sopuch, Yogi Horton, Marcus
Miller, Ted Moore,
Sherilyn Huffman, Diane Tidwell, Lisa Silver, Michael
Colina, Neil
Jason, Dave Sanborn, Randy Goodrum, Ray Bardani, Kacey Cisyk,
Vivian
Cherry, Ullanda McCullough, Richard Tee & Buddy Williams.
Available from EMI Records/Original release year: 1983
Michael
Johnson -
Wings
"Wings
from MJ"
The Tracks are:
Gotta
Learn To Love Without You, It's Only Over For You, That's What Your
Love Does To Me,
Give Me Wings, Hangin' On, Ponies, Magic Time, True Love,
Cool
Me In The River Of Love & The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder.
Musicians on the Wings album:
Michael
Johnson, Don Potter, Eddie Bayers, Jack Williams, Sonny Garrish,
John Jarvis, Shane
Keister and Bobby Ogdin, Gene Sisk, Mat Morse, Hollis
Halford
& Archie Jordan.
Available from
RCA Records/Original release year: 1986
Michael
Johnson -
That´s That
"Great
album from Michael Johnson"
The Tracks are:
Roller
Coaster Run (Up Too Slow, Down Too Fast), I Will Whisper Your Name,
Crying Shame, It
Must Be You, That's That, Oh Rosalee, Too Soon To Tell,
Samson And
Delilah, The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder, Diamond Dreams &
Some
People's Lives.
Musicians on the That´s That album:
Michael
Johnson, Don Potter, Craig Bickhardt, Larry Byrom, Eddie Bayers,
Jack Williams,
Edgar Meyer, Sonny Garrish, Russ Pahl, Farrell Morris, John
Jarvis, Bobby
Ogdin, Gene Sisk, Shane Keister, Sonny Garrish, Jerry Douglas,
Kirk "Jelly
Roll" Johnson, Carl Gorodetsky and The Nashville String Machine,
Archie
Jordan, Brent Maher, Lisa Silver & Larry Strickland.
Available from
RCA Records/Original release year: 1988
Michael
Johnson -
Life´s A Bitch
"European release only"
The Tracks are:
Roller
Coaster Run (Up Too Slow, Down Too Fast), True Love, Oh Rosalee, Give
Me Wings, Jacques
Cousteau (previous unreleased), Empty Hearts, That's What
Your Love Does To
Me, Hangin' On, Life's A Bitch (And Then You Die), Crying
Shame, Magic Time,
That's That, Samson And Delilah, The Moon Is Still Over
Her
Shoulder, Gotta Learn To Love Without You & Some People's Lives.
Musicians on the Life´s A Bitch album:
Michael
Johnson, Don Potter, Eddie Bayers, Edgar Meyer, Roy Huskey Jr, David
Schnaufer, Jerry
Douglas, Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson, Tim McFadden & Brent
Maher.
Available from
RCA Records/Original release year: 1989
Michael
Johnson -
The Best Of Michael
Johnson
"Best of Michael Johnson"
The Tracks are:
Gotta
Learn To Love Without You, Give Me Wings, I Will Whisper Your Name,
Crying Shame,
Life's A Bitch (And Then You Die), Ponies, The Moon Is Still
Over Her Shoulder,
Roller Coaster Run (Up Too Slow, Down Too Fast) & That's
That.
Musicians on the The Best Of Michael
Johnson album: Michael Johnson and others.
Available from RCA Records/Original release year:
1990
Michael
Johnson -
Michael Johnson
"MJ is back again!"
The Tracks are:
Two
Ships That Passed In The Moonlight, Rich Like Me, One Honest Tear, This
Ain't The Night To
Be Me, Mr. Sawyer/Mr. Finn, Half The Moon, Cheatin' On
The
Blues, Company Man, It Must Be You & Bristlecone Pine.
Musicians on the Michael Johnson album:
Michael
Johnson, Don Potter, Eddie Bayers, Gary Lunn, Matt Rollins, Bobby
Ogdin, Sonny
Garrish, Paul Franklin, Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson, Rob Hajacos,
Jerry Kimbrough,
Archie Jordan, Buddy Skipper, Juice Newton, Lisa Silver &
Jack
Sundrud.
Available from Atlantic Records/Original release year:
1992
Michael
Johnson -
Departure
"Fantastic
album from Michael Johnson"
The Tracks are:
Old
Fashioned Love, Departure, Miami Beach, Distant Fire, Worth The Trouble,
Dirty Hands And
Dirty Faces, Unconditionally, Software, She's Real, Almost
Free,
Cain's Blood & Imogene.
Musicians on the Departure album:
Michael
Johnson, Pat McGrath, Viktor Krauss, Kenny Malone, Ron Block, Kirk
"Jelly
Roll" Johnson, Alison Krauss, Peter Wasner, Adam Steffey, Dan
Tyminski,
Randy Goodrum, Roger Williams, Stuart Duncan & Barry Bales.
Available from Vanguard Records/Original release year:
1995
Michael
Johnson -
Then & Now
"All
tracks are re-recorded"
The Tracks are:
Almost
Like Being In Love, Happier Days, Whenever I Call You Friend, This
Night Won't Last
Forever, The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder, That's That,
Bluer
Than Blue, Crying Shame, Give Me Wings & I'll Always Love You.
Musicians on the Then & Now album:
Michael
Johnson, Viktor Krauss, Kenny Malone, Ray Herndon, Dan Tyminski,
Alison Krauss, Ron
Block, John Catchings, Pat Bergeson, Jerry Douglas &
Stuart
Duncan.
Available from Intersound Records/Original release year:
1997
Michael
Johnson/Stephen Bishop -
Back To Back
"An albumrelease together with
singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop"
The Tracks
are: Bluer Than
Blue, Almost like Being In Love, Whenever I Call You Friend, Give Me Wings, Save It For A
Rainy Day, On And On, It Might Be You, Separate Lives & Everybody Needs Love.
Musicians on the Back to Back album: Stephen Bishop, Michael Johnson and others.
Available from Dominion Records/Original release year: 1999
Michael
Johnson -
Bluer Than Blue
(1978-1995)
"A
collection of songs from Michael Johnson"
The Tracks are:
Bluer Than Blue, Almost
Like Being In Love, This Night Won't Last Forever,
The Very First
Time, You Can Call Me Blue, I Love You By Heart (Sylvia &
Michael Johnson
duet), Gotta Learn To Love Without You, Give Me Wings, The
Moon Is Still Over
Her Shoulder, Ponies, Crying Shame, I Will Whisper Your
Name, That's That,
Roller Coaster Run (Up Too Slow, Down Too Fast), It Must
Be
You, One Honest Tear & Almost Free.
Musicians on the Bluer Than Blue
(1978-1995) album: Michael Johnson and others.
Available from
Razor & Tie Records/Original release year: 1999
Michael
Johnson -
The Early Albums
"Re-release of
the live album"
The Tracks are:
A
compilation of the albums:
There Is A Breeze
, For All You Mad
Musicians &
Ain't
Dis Da Life. All original recordings.
Musicians on the The Early Albums album:
Michael
Johnson, Jim Johnson, Bill Peterson, Dave Williamson, Gary Gauger,
Jeff Gilkinson,
Robert Greenidge, Ted Sherman, Jeff Harrington, Mark Henley,
Ramuald Teco,
Tamas Strasser, Bruce Allard, Anthony Elliot, Dave Karr, Chris
Dedrick, Phillip
Markowitz, Gordon Johnson, Ted Moore, Leo Kottke, Gary
Gauger, George
Ricci, Margaret Ross, Jerry Niewood, Gordon Johnson, Ralph
Towner,
Russell George & Ron Zito.
Available from MJP Records/Original release year:
1999
Michael
Johnson/Randy Goodrum -
The Ballad Years
"A collection of songs. An albumrelease together with
singer/songwriter Randy Goodrum"
The Tracks
are: Bluer Than
Blue, The Night Won´t Last Forever, I´ll Always Love You, Rosalee, The
Love She Found In Me, Doors, Dialogue, After You, Blame It On The Rain, The
Very First Time, Savin´It Up, When You Come Home, 20-20, Foolish Heart,
Bluer Than Blue, I´ll Be Over You, You Needed Me, Who´s Holdin Donna Now,
Reunion, Savin´It Up, Time To Say I´m Sorry, So Soft Your Goodbye, You
Needed Me & Love.
Musicians on the The Ballad Years
album: Michael Johnson, Randy Goodrum and others.
Available from Hide & Seek Records/Original release year: 2000
Michael
Johnson -
Live At The Bluebird
Café
"Livealbum
from Michael Johnson"
The Tracks are:
Rosalie,
Bluer Than Blue, Company Man, Dirty Hands, In The Name Of God, One
Mile Apart,
Rollercoaster Run, Heart & Soul To Me, It's My Job, If I Fell
From
Grace With You, Cain's Blood & One Note Samba.
Musicians on the Live At The Bluebird
Café album:
Michael
Johnson, Jelly Roll Johnson & Suzanne Sherwin.
Available from American Original Records/Original release year:
2000
Michael
Johnson -
Classic Masters
"Best of Michael Johnson, 24 bit
digitally remastered"
The Tracks are:
Bluer Than Blue,
Sailing Without A Sail, Two In Love, Almost Like Being In
Love, This Night
Won't Last Forever, The Very First Time, I'll Always Love
You, You Can Call
Me Blue, Blame It On The Rain, You're Not Easy To Forget,
Home
Free & There's A Love.
Musicians on the Classic Masters album:
James
Taylor, Don Grolnick, David Lasley, Valerie Carter, Michael Landau, Kate
Markowitz, Arnold McCuller, Carlos Vega, Clifford Carter & Jimmy Johnson.
Available from
Capitol/EMI Records/Original release year: 2002
Michael
Johnson -
There Is A Breeze
"Reissue
of the debut album"
The Tracks are:
Pilot Me, In Your
Eyes, There Is A Breeze, See You Soon, Old Folks, Rooty Toot Toot For The
Moon, My Opening Farewell, Got You Covered, On The Road,
Study
In E Minor, Happier Days & You've Got To Be Carefully Taught.
Musicians on the There Is A Breeze album:
Michael
Johnson, Chris Dedrick, Phillip Markowitz, Gordon Johnson, Ted Moore, Leo Kottke,
Gary Gauger, George Ricci, Margaret Ross, Jerry Niewood,
Ralph
Towner, Russell George & Ron Zito.
Available from
Wounded Bird Records/Original release year: 2009
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