Lincoln, Nebraska - February 14, 2003 - Grammy-winning guitarist Eric Johnson will make his Lied Center debut on Friday, February 28, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. Johnson will perform selections from his newest album, Souvenir, which was released via the internet in January 2003, along with favorites from past albums and songs from his upcoming studio recording.

Souvenir is a surprising selection of songs Johnson personally chose from his “vault.” Included is the first live recording of him as a solo artist, album outtakes, songs that have been staples of his live shows over the years but never released on CD, and songs that Johnson has recorded but had never played publicly. There is even a song he completed in 2002 and recorded just for this album, “Get To Go.” Souvenir will be available only through the Internet and at performance venues. It is intended to fill in the gap for Johnson’s audience until his next CD of all new material is completed. He is in the final stages of this studio recording which will be released later this year.

Eric Johnson’s professional career began in the 1970s in Austin, Texas, long a hotbed of musical talent. As a teenager he played with local bands and by age 21 was a member of a the legendary Electromagnets. Post-Electromagnets, Johnson played with other groups as well as recording his first album (which would not end up being released until 1999), touring with Carole King, and recorded with Cat Stevens and Christopher Cross.

All the while, Johnson’s underground reputation as a guitarist grew. Then, with the release of his Grammy-nominated album Tones in 1986 and the Grammy-winning Ah Via Musicom in 1990, serious recognition arrived. According to Guitar Player magazine, “Ah Via Musicom is an artistic triumph - as powerful a statement for Eric Johnson as Electric Ladyland was for Jimi Hendrix.” This record gave Johnson the honor of being the first artist to have three instrumentals in the top 10 in any format.

With the success of these two albums, Johnson began to receive many accolades from peers, fans, and the media. He was named “Best Overall” guitarist from Guitar Player for four years straight, and then inducted into their “Gallery of Greats.” Musician Magazine listed him among the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century.” Johnson also regularly rates highly in the annual readers poll of the Austin Chronicle.

Johnson’s last studio recording, Venus Isle, was released in 1996 and in the interim, Johnson has kept busy with many side projects including touring with B.B. King and on the successful G3 Tour with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Recently Johnson has also toured with Bill Maddox and Chris Maresh as Alien Love Child, a blues project that released its first album in 2000.
Joining Johnson on the current tour is drummer Tommy Taylor, who previously worked with him on Tones and the Grammy Award-winning Ah Via Musicom. Highly sought-after bassist Roscoe Beck was originally scheduled to join them, but he took a last-minute offer to tour with the Dixie Chicks. Taylor last went on the road with Johnson for the wildly popular Ah Via Musicom tour.

As part of the Lied Center’s ongoing education programming, a pre-performance talk will be held in the Lied’s Steinhart Room 30 minutes prior to curtain. Kent Wolgamott, entertainment reporter for the Lincoln Journal Star, will be the speaker. The Lied Center for Performing Arts is located at 301 North 12 Street in Lincoln, Nebraska, on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Tickets for this performance are $32, $28, and $22. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Wesleyan University and Doane College students as well as youth 18 and younger, with proper identification, can purchase tickets for half-price.
Call the Lied box office at (402) 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231 for ticket availability. Regular box office hours are 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. On performance weekdays, the box office is open from 11 a.m. through the first intermission. To order tickets online or for more information on any Lied Center performances, visit the Lied Center’s web page at www.liedcenter.org.

Lied Center programming is supported by Friends of Lied and grants from National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; Heartland Arts Fund, jointly supported by Arts Midwest and Mid-America Arts Alliance; and Nebraska Arts Council. All events in the Lied Center are made possible entirely or in part by the Lied Performance Fund, which has been established in memory of Ernst F. Lied and his parents, Ernst M. and Ida K. Lied.
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