the first album from Scott Albert Johnson, released in 2007

Umbrella Man

I wrote this song about a light in the sky. I recorded it with members of an acoustic group that I play with in Jackson called Animal Farm, along with some other amazing Jackson musicians, including Patrice Moncell, a renowned blues and gospel singer, on background vocals (she’s sung at Carnegie Hall, and was featured in the Robert Mugge documentary Last of the Mississippi Jukes). 

It’s a rollicking, fun song, but there’s a deeper idea in the lyrics: the innate desire, in all of us, to reach out for something greater than the world around us and “jump off this planet.”

Spaceship

I wrote the lyrics to this song while I was still living in Washington, DC (hence the reference to the “Orange Line”). This song is about “the one that got away”; it’s not autobiographical, but I think most people can relate. The one-line cameo on background vocals is by Jackie Bell, one of the most popular blues singers in Jackson. 

Turn Out Fine

This song is about the man who sits on the jagged and lonely end of a love triangle. It’s one of two songs on the record where I play bass guitar as well as harmonica. The guitarist on the recording, Brian Coleman, also was a co-writer, contributing the chord progression and some really tasty, intertwining guitar lines. 

What About Your Man

This tale of an ambitious young man is very dear to my heart. I had, for a long time, an image in my head of how I wanted this song to sound, and we more or less adhered to that concept. The horn section consists of two trumpet lines and a harmonica line.



Hollywood

originally by Wynton Marsalis

Harmonica: Scott Albert Johnson
Drums: Johnny Vidacovich
Upright bass: Jason Stewart
Piano: Mike Hood

Recorded at Word of Mouth Studio, New Orleans, June 2005

From the album "Umbrella Man" by Scott Albert Johnson
(C) 2005, Monkaroo Music/CoolByMe! Records

In the Court of King Oliver

“Scott Albert Johnson manhandles his harmonica with a master’s flair. He is a triple-threat artist who can sing, write and blow his emotions clear on out of his harmonica like nobody’s business.”
Goldmine [USA]
 
“Scott Albert Johnson is a great songwriter. He writes about man's journey: who we are, where we stand and where our lives take us. His musings about life are cast in clever melodies, sung by a voice that seemingly knows no limitations. He is extremely versatile on the harmonica… sometimes you hear the influence of Toots Thielemans, then Howard Levy, and then Stevie Wonder. Johnson has made another excellent record.”
Rootstime [Belgium]
 
"Scott Albert Johnson’s new record Going Somewhere knocks me out. The songs are memorable, the singing intense, and the harmonica new and powerful... It’s the most daring rock harmonica record since Blues Traveler came along to shake everybody up with a completely different take on the instrument."
 Richard Hunter, author of Jazz Harp (the original instructional book on jazz harmonica), hunterharp.com

"Scott Albert Johnson is a virtuoso harmonica player and an excellent singer and songwriter as well. After a few spins, the lyrics remain all around in your head. Johnson has made an equally beautiful and special album. ”
Rudolf’s Music [Netherlands]
  
“Scott Albert Johnson is fiercely original. This isn't just an album to listen to. It's an album to explore. Great songs, vocals and harp and instrumentation.”
Jon Gindick, author of Rock N’ Blues Harmonica and one of the preeminent harmonica teachers in the world, gindick.com

 “There are harmonica players and then there is Scott Albert Johnson… One of the best harp players in the world.”
Cashbox Music Reviews

Born in St. Louis and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Scott Albert Johnson was bathed in the wide range of the American songbook, as well as the sounds of his 1970’s and 80’s childhood.  The soul and spirit of that diversity is at the core of his new album, Going Somewhere. Johnson incorporates elements of rock, jazz, blues, funk, country, and world music, mixed with thoughtful lyrics, strong vocals, and virtuosic harmonica playing, to create a unique, modern concoction of sound.

“I’m influenced by almost every kind of music that I’ve ever heard,” says Johnson.  “Growing up in the heart of the South, obviously blues has had a big impact on me.  It’s also the heart and soul of virtually every type of modern music.  But I also grew up a big fan of artists like Peter Gabriel, the Police, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Hornsby, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Daniel Lanois, John Scofield, and Rush, just to name a few.  So I draw on all of that, and I try to write lyrics and music that have an emotional as well as intellectual impact.  Then I throw in some harmonica for good measure.”

Johnson has become a true harmonica master, utilizing a unique and difficult technique known as “overblow,” which allows the diatonic harmonica to be played as a fully chromatic instrument.  He is one of a small group of players who can do this.  He also utilizes digital effects to expand the sonic palette of the instrument, and he counts such harmonica masters as Toots Thielemans, John Popper, Howard Levy, Stevie Wonder, and the late Chris Michalek as major influences.  Yet Johnson sees the harmonica as just one piece of what he does musically.

“I've always felt most influenced by artists who are kind of what I would call triple-threats,” says Johnson. “They sing well, they play at least one instrument very well, and they write great songs. I take each of these three parts of the equation as seriously as any other part. I also feel most in-tune with artists who kind of are ‘their own genre,’ borrowing from many different kinds of music. I hope my music reflects that.”