Musical Styles: Blues, Folk, Roots
Handmade Instruments Played: Cigar Box Guitar, Gas Can Guitar, Diddley Bow, many others
Over the last several years, Justin Johnson has become one of the most recognizable performing musicians of the cigar box guitar and homemade/handmade music movement. A highly accomplished musician, Justin plays a wide variety of handmade instruments created by builders and craftspeople all over the world, frequently switching between different instruments on stage all while weaving a masterful tapestry of sound and spoken word.
A regular headliner at cigar box guitar festivals around the country and also overseas, Justin has a deep commitment to preserving and rediscovering what is often referred to as “Roots” music. He has also focused his activities on holding instructional workshops and creating educational materials to help others learn to play music on these amazing instruments.
Currently Justin is busy continuing his 2015 “The Rolling Cigar Box Guitar & Roots Revue” tour, which according to his website, will “roll across several continents, including North America, Europe, and Australia, with the air of vintage carnival. Each show will feature Johnson’s own constantly evolving menagerie of musical instruments built by artisans from around the globe, while regional guitar builders are encouraged to bring out their latest creations for the chance to have them played on-stage, so that each event showcases it’s own regional talent and brings together the people who build and sell handmade instruments with the people who want to take one home.. and everyone in between. In addition to musical concerts, most performances will feature pre-show workshops that invite the audience to dive into the history, performance techniques, and culture that have evolved from Handmade American Roots Instruments. ” (Source: http://www.justinjohnsonlive.com/JUSTIN_JOHNSON_PRESS_KIT.php)
To learn more about Justin Johnson, his music, educational materials and tour, visit his website: http://www.justinjohnsonlive.com/