jim m wrote:I first heard of Eric when I happened to tune into ACL. I think the story goes that Prince also was watching and called his label up and told them they should sign the guy. That sound right Keith?
I had Eric in 2007 for a show. He is a really nice guy. I picked him up at the hotel and immediatle had to find a Starbucks for him. We got to the venue where his tech had set up his rig. He got up there any fiddled with stuff for over two hours straight before the band was called up for the sound check. We had to hold doors for 45 minutes to set up the opener who got a first song sound check. Eric was very laid back. I about had a coronary.
I know Prince caught Eric when he first played ACL in '84 I think, and I believe it was through him and Christopher Cross that he got signed to Capitol. Speaking of Christopher Cross (remember him?), were you aware that back in his rocker days, before his pop hits, he actually subbed on guitar for Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple one night in Texas? I've asked many of the old time "keepers of the flame" in the Purple camp about this, and they claim it couldn't have happened, but I know EJ talked about it in an interview once, and here's Christopher Cross talking about it. This would've been around 1969- 1970. I've never known EJ to spin tales, so I tend to believe him :
One night Deep Purple came to San Antonio. First night of the tour again. Richie Blackmore got sick from a flu shot and couldn’t perform. But the show was sold out at a place called the Pussycat Club, which was a big club that I’d played. Eric Johnson played there as well with his original band called Mariani. And Billy Gibbons used to have a band called Moving Sidewalk, and before they were ZZ they used to play there. But I subbed for Blackmore. They didn’t want to cancel the show so they told people Blackmore wasn’t going to be there, but I was kind of a local hero, and I was going to sit in in his place and if people wanted to stay, they could stay. About 80% of the people stayed. And so I played guitar for Deep Purple. Then when they were leaving at the airport I got to meet Richie, and he gave me his pick.
What’s it like to be 17 or 18 and suddenly on stage as
Deep Purple’s guitarist?
It was exciting but almost embarrassing. I realized I had no business being up there sitting in for Richie Blackmore, but the guy who owned the club wanted the show to go on. John Lord and the band wanted the show to go on. The singer wasn’t happy about it as I remember, but you know… I was just jumping in there, and I realized how ridiculous it was that I would be subbing for Richie. But it was exciting. I was a big fan of Richie’s, a huge fan of his playing so I knew the hits, and I knew a lot of the big things, but then we just jammed some blues and stuff like that. And the guys just tried to have a good time with it. It was their very first tour in the states and they didn’t want to cancel (the gig) and have that be the way they started. It’s hard to remember but it was pretty heady. It was just real exciting to meet, as a guitarist, artists who were these huge heroes of mine.
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