Robert A. Johnson (born in the 1950s) is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, pop, and blues guitarist based in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

who is best known for his work in the late 1970s. He is usually known professionally simply as "Robert Johnson." Early in his career Johnson played in bands with Jack Holder and Greg Reding, who later became members of

Black Oak Arkansas Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970charting ten albums according to Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Their style is punctuated ...

. Johnson's technical playing skill became well respected by other musicians, and at the age of 23 he was auditioned by

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

as a possible replacement for

Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on: ''Let It Bleed'' ...

. Between 1974 and 1977 he toured as lead guitarist for John Entwistle's solo project band, "John Entwistle's Ox." In 1978, with his own backing band the Bell Heirs, featuring Dave Cochran on bass and Blair Cunningham on drums, Johnson cut an album entitled ''Close Personal Friend'' for

Infinity Records Infinity Records was a short-lived subsidiary of MCA Records established in New York City in 1978. The label was conceived by MCA president Sidney Sheinberg as a way for the Los Angeles-based entertainment conglomerate to improve its presence o ...

. The album became a minor cult success, reaching number 174 on the ''Billboard'' 200. He released a set of demos the following year. In 2008, ''Close Personal Friend'', was re-released on CD with additional bonus tracks.

Discography

*''Close Personal Friend'' (

Ensign Records Ensign Records was a record label started in 1976 by London-born Nigel Grainge, elder brother of UMG Chairman Sir Lucian Grainge. History Nigel Grainge began his career in the record business as a sales office assistant at Phonogram UK in 19 ...

, 1978) *''Memphis Demos'' (

, 1980) *''I'm Alive'' (

Burger Records Burger Records was an American independent record label and record store in Fullerton, California, United States. The label was founded in 2007 by Sean Bohrman and Lee Rickard, members of the power pop band Thee Makeout Party. The record/video s ...

, 2019)

References

External links

Robert A. Johnson on myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Robert A. American blues guitarists American male guitarists Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee Living people Guitarists from Tennessee Year of birth missing (living people)