Ronnie Johnson’s show business CV reads like a movie script. A child actor talent spotted at his Surrey primary school aged six by director Richard Lester, he appeared in iconic 1960s films The Knack starring Rita Tushingham; Oliver! the musical as “Fagin’s Boy”, and The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. But by his late teens he decided “the play’s the thing” wasn’t the thing for him after all, and took up playing electric guitar instead.
He was soon in demand at the famous Speakeasy Club on the fringe of London’s Soho, where everyone from the Rolling Stones and Bowie to Elton John and Bob Marley played in the 1970s. The list of stars Johnson has performed and/or recorded with in half a century since then reads like a roll‘n’roll hall of fame: Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Sting, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker, John Lee Hooker, Georgie Fame, Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, Leo Sayer and many more. Nor are his skills limited to his beloved Fender Stratocaster: he was director of music for Van Morrison for a decade.
Johnson is one of the most prolific and enduring British electric guitarists you have never heard of – unless you read specialist music magazines, where he has often been lauded. He spent a decade with Van Morrison with his back permanently faced to the audience as he led a band of up to 10 musicians. But now Johnson is emerging from the shadows with a new album of his own music with his own band, the quirkily named Dez Ezé (pronounced Dez Ezzay).
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. The band’s eponymous debut album has been variously described as “guitar-led rock and jazz improvisation and ambient soundscapes”.
Having had an exclusive preview for The Independent, I detect shades of Ry Cooder, Pat Metheny and Steely Dan. But the four piece Dez Ezé have a style all their own too. Wave after wave of swooping and beguiling music, two lead guitars weaving in and out of each other, switching from melody to harmony as though they share a musical DNA.
But first, what is it like working for the famously – to put it mildly according to some – intimidating Van Morrison? Johnson should know: he was the Northern Irish blues and soul legend’s lead guitarist for most of the 1990s, as well as music director. He has done several world tours with Van Morrison, sharing top billing on one with Bob Dylan, while acting as both his band leader and lead guitarist.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
