Happy Birthday, Eric Johnson!

On Tuesday, August 17, 2021, one of my favorite guitarists, Eric Johnson, will turn 67 years old.

I was first introduced to the music of Johnson in 1990 by an employee at a local cable television station I interned at during my senior year of high school. That was the year Johnson, then 35/36 years old, released his breakthrough second album, Ah Via Musicom, which achieved the distinction of having three instrumental songs reach the American Top Ten.

Every one of Johnson's albums showcases his incredible electric guitar wizardry and his soft-spoken heartfelt vocals. His latest album is EJ Vol. II, which has set the record for the longest-playing CD in any of my cars throughout my entire history of driving. The disc has been spinning in the Rajmobile for the entire length of the pandemic. Granted, I've only been driving primarily on the weekends, but still . . .

--Raj Manoharan