Henry Johnson was born in Chicago but moved to Memphis at an early age. He started playing guitar around the age of 13 and by 14 he was already starting to play R&B gigs throughout Memphis. Although his parents listened to Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Joe Williams he wasn't really exposed to jazz until later in his teenage years. That's when he first heard Wes Montgomery and that was it!
His family ended up moving back to the Southside of Chicago in 1969 and by 1976 he was on the road with Jack McDuff and that's just the beginning of his story.
In this feature interview for the February 2019 Issue of Chicago Jazz Magazine we host Mike Jeffers, talks with Henry about his many influences, performances, concepts and his continued passion for composing, performing and education.
Henry Johnson recording credits include: Ramsey Lewis, vocalists, Joe Williams and Vanessa Ruben, and saxophonist Richie Cole among many others.
Henry Johnson performance credits include: Nancy Wilson, Marlena Shaw, Angela Bofil, Dizzy Gillespie, Jack McDuff, the Boston Pops, Sonny Stitt, Freddie Hubbard, Grover Washington Jr., Stanley Turrentine, Dr. Billy Taylor, Jimmy Smith, James Moody, David “Fathead” Newman, Terry Gibbs, Bobby Watson, Nicholas Payton, and many other great jazz artists.
Watch Part I of the Feature Interview with Henry Johnson
Visit www.HenryJohnson.com for tour dates, releases and more
