Published: June, 1999

"I cherish the fact that I grew up in a place where there's nothing to do, because it gave me a lot of time to develop bad habits on the guitar," says Richard Leo Johnson, who recently released his debut album, Fingertip Ship [Metro Blue]. Calling his technical skills "bad habits" may be a little harsh, but Johnson's guitar neck bending, extended bongo-like solos on the body of his Taylor 12-string, and 30 custom tunings-all recorded through a '60s Vox AC30 and a '60s Princeton Reverb-are not exactly standard fare for acoustic soloists.
Although Fingertip Ship's mesmerizing vortex of frenzied rhythms, tap-and-slide bass lines, and esoteric melodies is sometimes reminiscent of Michael Hedges, Johnson says his primary influences are Leo Kottke, Ralph Towner, Bola Sete, John McLaughlin, and Pat Metheny. Brought up in rural Arkansas, Johnson began taking guitar lessons at the age of nine.from a beer-guzzling Monkees fan. After that, he decided to let his ears be his permanent instructors-which led to a penchant for bizarre tunings.
"I just screw around with the tuning pegs and start playing," says Johnson. "It's kind of like following a trail of bread crumbs in the woods. I try to let everything be as improvisational as possible." More Review>>>