Eric Johnson, Dweezil Zappa and a dozen more musicians pay homage to Jimi Hendrix on Tuesday

Eric Johnson / Last Word Features Contributed Photo
Eric Johnson / Last Word Features Contributed Photo

If Eric Johnson had any illusions that he had it made with his career when his second album, "Ah Via Musicom," became a crossover hit, it didn't take long to see how fickle life in the music business can be.

With "Cliffs of Dover" becoming a hit single, and winning a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental, "Ah Via Musicom" topped a million units sold, while spawning two additional hit singles, "Trademark" and "Righteous."

While the success of "Ah Via Musicom" gave him more leeway with Capitol Records higher- ups, Johnson's perfectionist tendencies found him again going over budget with the follow-up, "Venus Isle," which led to getting dropped by the label after the album failed to match the commercial success of its predecessor.

If you go

› What: Experience Hendrix› Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.› When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12› Admission: $78.50, $98.50 and $139› For more information: 423-757-5580

That didn't curtail Johnson's career, though. He went on to release five more studio albums - "Souvenir" (2002), "Bloom" (2005), "Up Close" (2010), "Eclectic" (2014) and "Collage" (2017) on various independent labels.

Today, Johnson looks back at his crossover success and subsequent issues with his record labels as a learning experience.

"I don't have any kind of bitter attitude about record labels or that music scene. But I think it's really important to look at it honestly," he said. "Yes, it can be a wolf in sheep's clothing, but it is what it is. One minute, you've got the red carpet and the next minute, you've got the locked door. It really depends on how in vogue you are."

Now firmly established as one of rock's most lauded guitarists, Johnson is joining a cast of other top-flight guitarists (including Joe Satriani, Jonny Lang, Dave Mustaine and Dweezil Zappa) on the latest edition of the Experience Hendrix tour.

Experience Hendrix stops in the Tivoli Theatre for a 7:30 p.m. show on Tuesday, March 12.

Johnson has been a regular presence on Experience Hendrix, and this year plans to switch up the Hendrix songs he'll perform from night to night during his part of the show. Starting out, he said, he expects to play "Love or Confusion," "Power of Soul," "Axis: Bold as Love" and "Are You Experienced?" - four songs with which casual Hendrix fans may not be that familiar. That's something Johnson has generally done on previous Experience Hendrix tours.

"I kind of like the offbeat ones a little bit. I don't know why," he said. "I like delving into those that are a little bit lesser-known."

While many guitarists are awed by Hendrix's guitar playing, Johnson said when he heard the Hendrix debut album, "Are You Experienced," just before it arrived in stores, he was struck more by the songwriting and how the guitar playing served the songs themselves.

"That's not to say I wasn't impressed by his awesome playing and musicianship," Johnson said. "But I think more importantly, I was inspired by him because he had this message and direction of wanting to create music that spoke to people. And playing great guitar stuff was just part of it."

Once the Experience Hendrix tour wraps up in April, Johnson has offers to do more shows featuring the "Ah Via Musicom" album. He's spent much of the past year touring with bassist Kyle Brock and drummer Tommy Taylor, the rhythm section that played on the original album, playing "Ah Via Musicom" in its entirety, along with selections from his other albums.

There's also a bit of studio work in the offing.

"I'm about 98 percent finished with a whole new record," Johnson said.

The album, which he said features all original material save for a cover of a Beatles song, will be a departure from his usual plugged-in sound.

"It started off as an acoustic guitar and an acoustic piano record and still is," Johnson said of the new album. "But a lot of it, I ended up putting bass and drums (on) and overdubbing electric guitar. So it's kind of a mishmash of an acoustic record and an electric record."

Writer Alan Sculley contributed to this story.

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