Johnny A returns to the East Bay on the third Tuesday in July for an intimate solo show featuring British songbook classics.
“It’s just me and my guitars,” says Johnny A about his current show celebrating the British songbook of the ’60s. It’s a return of sorts for Johnny, who transformed his playing two decades ago by learning to play solo arrangements of Beatles tunes. Before that, the Boston Music Hall of Famer was best know as the lead player for Peter Wolf of the J. Giles Band. After shedding on the songbook of the Beatles, Johnny became one of the planet’s premier chord-melody players. His seminal 1999 release Sometime Tuesday Morning featured Johnny in a trio setting, and spawned the Triple A radio hit, “Oh Yeah.” Gibson recognized Johnny’s instrumental brilliance with an endorsement deal that led to the fabulous Johnny A signature model, which is now available in affordable limited edition Epiphone version as well. In 2015, Johnny became a member of one of the most legendary and influential guitar bands of all time, the Yardbirds.
“My two favorite bands growing up were the Beatles and the Yardbirds,” says Johnny. “I probably wouldn’t be the guitar player I am if it wasn’t for the Yardbirds’ ‘Over Under Sideways Down.’
During this current break from Yardbirds touring, Johnny is taking an adventurous trek across the United States presenting his distinct instrumental guitar approach in a completely solo setting for the very first time at fine venues with intimate atmosphere, including this stop at the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere jazz club, Yoshi’s in Oakland’s Jack London Square. The evening promises to be a special “living room experience” with some of Johnny’s favorite songs and stories all of which have molded him into the musician and person