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Steve Hunt
Jimmy Johnson


Tour Of England 1989
Tour Of England 1989
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Uncredited (likely Neville Marten)
Uncredited (likely Neville Marten)


"I'm working with great musicians and proud to be a part of it".
"To me, he's the ultimate bass player.."


Steven Hunt was born on the 28th August 1958 in Oklahoma. During his formative years he learned music from various members of his family, including his mother, brother and father who was an eminent saxophonist.
That's how Allan Holdsworth describes Jimmy Johnson: "I can't think of anybody else on the planet I'd rather have play bass, because of the way he thinks and feels about the instrument. The way he defines the role in this band, and in anything I've ever heard him do, is just awesome. It's the function of the bass taken to the maximum, and I just love it. What else can I say?" What else indeed..?


At eighteen he went to the Berklee School of Music in Boston Massachusetts, to study keyboards formally, graduating in 1979, the same year as his marriage to Gina.
Born in Minneapolis USA Jimmy Johnson has been a professional musician since 1969. He comes from a strong musical background, his father being a bass player in the Minnesota


Having played in a succession of local bands with top musicians from the Boston area, including Japanese trumpeter Tiger Okoshi and guitarist Randy Roos, Steven left Boston in 1984 for six months to tour with Billy Cobham. Shortly after that he became the musical director for a touring show called The Jazz Explosion, which involved artists such as Phyllis Hyman, Randy Lewis and Stanley Clarke.
Orchestra while his mother teaches piano. Although he started playing bass around the age of eleven - when his mother would sometimes write notes to his school Principal so he could get out to do sessions - his first instrument was the piano. He then studied clarinet, as he says "legit", and although he never actually 'studied' on bass guitar he feels his clarinet lessons rubbed off. Jimmy says: '1 think linearly because of my clarinet training - that's a melody instrument if ever there was one - and I think a lot of that transferred over. I'm not really trained enough to know which scales are supposed to fit where. People say: "'Well, you're playing a half demolished something or other scale there' and I say: 'Really?' Rut it's just by ear - I'm just trying to play melodies that hold together".


At the end of this he spent three years playing in Stanley Clarke's band and played keyboards on two tracks from his 1988 album 'If Only This Bass Could Talk'. A 1987 European tour with Stanley brought him into contact with Allan Holdsworth, whose own band was performing the same dates. Allan asked Steven if he was available to record and tour with him, which he describes as "a dream come true". I've been listening to Allan Holdsworth for years and I couldn't believe it was happening to me.
Among his influences over the years Jimmy lists Stanley Clarke and Jaco at the top, although he's a fan of many bass players. He doesn't however regard himself as modelled on any one musician, though he freely admits to learning Stanley Clarke licks in the early days, but that 'went by the wayside' when Jaco came along...


The collaboration resulted in Steven playing on two tracks from 'Secrets' - Joshua, which he wrote and Maid Marion which he co-wrote with Allan. "I wrote the melody and Allan said it reminded him of old English folk music, and so hence the Robin Hood connection."
At the end of 1978 Jimmy moved out to L.A. Working freelance, he became one of the first bassists to start playing with an extra string - a discovery he credits to his father's symphony bass experience.


Steven flew to Los Angeles on 23rd October for a rehearsal with Allan and Jimmy Johnson on the 24th prior to the first dates of the tour on the 29th. "Every tour with Allan is the same", he says." But it all seems to come together in time because I'm working with great musicians and proud to be a part of it".
He teamed up with Allan Holdsworth in 1985. It was an invitation to a rehearsal which led to him becoming a major element on Allan's album of that year, 'Metal Fatigue', and Jimmy has featured on all subsequent albums - 'Atavachron' (1986) 'Sand' (1987) and 'Secrets' (1989). In the touring spaces where he's not or recording with Holdsworth, Jimmy fills his time in other ways: "I'm not really a worker bee in L.A. - I do records, jingles and some film and TV stuff - but working with Allan is the total opposite of that; it's just get out there and blow'.


Straight after this tour he's going into a recording studio with long-time collaborator Louis Robertson. They've been working together since 1982, but this will be the first time they've released a record together. On top of this, Steven has his own instrumental band in Boston called The Rhythm Dogs, with Bruce Bartlett and Marty Richards amongst others.
As well as being a major player on the L.A. session scene, Johnson balances his time between that, working with Allan and with his hometown band, Flim and the BB's. Flim and the BB's started off as a kind of studio rhythm section, which eventually got involved in playing for the early development of digital recording, and led to the release of compact disc albums including 'Tricycle' (1983 ), 'Neon' (1987) and 'The Further Adventures of Flim and the BB's' (1988). Talking about his direct to disc projects, Jimmy in an interview with American magazine Guitar World in May 89 said:


At home, and away from music, Steven and Gina have three children - Joshua aged eight, Andy who's six and Lacey who at four is the youngest.
"It's nice melodic music - not very dark". He then goes on to admit to overdubbing a part of a particular track when the sleeve notes state, 'We don't overdub, we don't remix, etc etc.'


All three seem to follow in their father's footsteps, and Joshua has already begun taking piano lessons, frequently preferring his dad's synthesisers and drum machines to more conventional eight-year olds' toys. Joshua is also on the verge of taking up the drums and professes a desire to be a scientist. Lacey meanwhile is taking dance lessons, something Steven actively encourages because he feels it's important for his children to be involved in the arts. Away from life on the road, Steven admits he's a househusband, due to Gina's full-time employment...
This tour is Jimmy's third visit to Europe. His previous visits included playing festivals with Lee Ritenour, who's albums, 'Harlequin' (1985) 'Earth Run' (1986) and 'Color Rit' (1989) Jimmy can add to his very impressive list of credits. Jimmy enthuses: "I'm looking forward to this tour because I've never really seen England, and with the other guys it should be fun; you just never know what's going to happen, and that makes it interesting. It's just one of those bands. You're proud to come into a town and be playing with Allan Holdsworth; it's one of the few gigs like that and I'm really glad to be involved."
 
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Latest revision as of 08:07, 29 December 2020

Jimmy Johnson

Tour Of England 1989

Tour Program, 1989

Uncredited (likely Neville Marten)

"To me, he's the ultimate bass player.."

That's how Allan Holdsworth describes Jimmy Johnson: "I can't think of anybody else on the planet I'd rather have play bass, because of the way he thinks and feels about the instrument. The way he defines the role in this band, and in anything I've ever heard him do, is just awesome. It's the function of the bass taken to the maximum, and I just love it. What else can I say?" What else indeed..?

Born in Minneapolis USA Jimmy Johnson has been a professional musician since 1969. He comes from a strong musical background, his father being a bass player in the Minnesota

Orchestra while his mother teaches piano. Although he started playing bass around the age of eleven - when his mother would sometimes write notes to his school Principal so he could get out to do sessions - his first instrument was the piano. He then studied clarinet, as he says "legit", and although he never actually 'studied' on bass guitar he feels his clarinet lessons rubbed off. Jimmy says: '1 think linearly because of my clarinet training - that's a melody instrument if ever there was one - and I think a lot of that transferred over. I'm not really trained enough to know which scales are supposed to fit where. People say: "'Well, you're playing a half demolished something or other scale there' and I say: 'Really?' Rut it's just by ear - I'm just trying to play melodies that hold together".

Among his influences over the years Jimmy lists Stanley Clarke and Jaco at the top, although he's a fan of many bass players. He doesn't however regard himself as modelled on any one musician, though he freely admits to learning Stanley Clarke licks in the early days, but that 'went by the wayside' when Jaco came along...

At the end of 1978 Jimmy moved out to L.A. Working freelance, he became one of the first bassists to start playing with an extra string - a discovery he credits to his father's symphony bass experience.

He teamed up with Allan Holdsworth in 1985. It was an invitation to a rehearsal which led to him becoming a major element on Allan's album of that year, 'Metal Fatigue', and Jimmy has featured on all subsequent albums - 'Atavachron' (1986) 'Sand' (1987) and 'Secrets' (1989). In the touring spaces where he's not or recording with Holdsworth, Jimmy fills his time in other ways: "I'm not really a worker bee in L.A. - I do records, jingles and some film and TV stuff - but working with Allan is the total opposite of that; it's just get out there and blow'.

As well as being a major player on the L.A. session scene, Johnson balances his time between that, working with Allan and with his hometown band, Flim and the BB's. Flim and the BB's started off as a kind of studio rhythm section, which eventually got involved in playing for the early development of digital recording, and led to the release of compact disc albums including 'Tricycle' (1983 ), 'Neon' (1987) and 'The Further Adventures of Flim and the BB's' (1988). Talking about his direct to disc projects, Jimmy in an interview with American magazine Guitar World in May 89 said:

"It's nice melodic music - not very dark". He then goes on to admit to overdubbing a part of a particular track when the sleeve notes state, 'We don't overdub, we don't remix, etc etc.'

This tour is Jimmy's third visit to Europe. His previous visits included playing festivals with Lee Ritenour, who's albums, 'Harlequin' (1985) 'Earth Run' (1986) and 'Color Rit' (1989) Jimmy can add to his very impressive list of credits. Jimmy enthuses: "I'm looking forward to this tour because I've never really seen England, and with the other guys it should be fun; you just never know what's going to happen, and that makes it interesting. It's just one of those bands. You're proud to come into a town and be playing with Allan Holdsworth; it's one of the few gigs like that and I'm really glad to be involved."

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