1. Damon Rogers Johnson was born on July 13,1964 and is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, currently a solo artist, a member of Brother Cane and guitarist in Lynyrd Skynyrd.
24 Facts About Damon Johnson
1. 2.
Damon Johnson became a member of Thin Lizzy in 2011 and was the lead guitarist and co-songwriter for hard rock group Black Star Riders from 2012 to 2018.
3.
An offer to join Split the Dark, an established band fronted by former members of the power-pop band Hotel, prompted Damon Johnson's move to Birmingham, Alabama in 1987.
4.
Shortly before Brother Cane split, Damon Johnson contributed songwriting and guitar duties to Sammy Hagar's Marching to Mars album in 1997.
5.
Damon Johnson released albums with two different side projects and played electric and acoustic guitars on Faith Hill's smash hit single, "Cry" in 2002.
6.
Damon Johnson briefly collaborated with the band Damn Yankees with Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw, and Ted Nugent, and recorded an album that was never released.
7.
In 2007, Damon Johnson joined the country rock band Whiskey Falls.
8.
Damon Johnson co-wrote the song "Every Day" that was later recorded by Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks, and was released as the first single from her solo album, Trouble in Shangri-La in 2001.
9.
Damon Johnson co-wrote the Carlos Santana song "Just Feel Better" with Jamie Houston and Buck Johnson, which featured vocalist Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.
10.
In 2010, Damon Johnson recorded his own versions of both songs, which were included on his second acoustic solo album, Release, which features a duet with his daughter Sarah Marlo Damon Johnson as well as a guest appearance by Alice Cooper on vocal and harmonica.
11.
Damon Johnson co-wrote and recorded with Alice Cooper on his album Dirty Diamonds and toured with the band from 2004 to 2006, leaving to commit to his new band, Whiskey Falls.
12.
Damon Johnson worked his fifth tour with Alice Cooper in 2011, and departed the band in September of that year to become a full member of Thin Lizzy.
13.
Cooper is credited with assisting greatly in Damon Johnson's beloved golf game, as the two played hundreds of rounds in their years of touring the world together.
14.
In 2011, while playing with Alice Cooper, Damon Johnson received a call from Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham, inviting him to replace temporary guitarist Richard Fortus in the band.
15.
Damon Johnson had been a fan of the band since seeing them perform in 1979, and had recorded a version of the Thin Lizzy song "Borderline" on his first solo album, Dust, in 2000.
16.
Damon Johnson later said that, if he were not in the band, he would not have been happy to see new recordings being released without Lynott.
17.
In December 2012, Damon Johnson co-founded the Thin Lizzy spin-off band, Black Star Riders, whose first album All Hell Breaks Loose was released in May 2013.
18.
Also during 2016, Damon Johnson performed several festival shows with Thin Lizzy, and worked on Black Star Riders' third album, Heavy Fire.
19.
Damon Johnson toured through the latter part of 2019, promoting Memoirs of an Uprising, playing shows alongside bands such as The Winery Dogs and Clutch.
20.
Damon Johnson then spent 2020 recording another hard rock album, produced by Raskulinecz, which was released on February 19,2021 on Double Dragon Records.
21.
From July 22,2021, Damon Johnson joined Lynyrd Skynyrd as temporary replacement for Gary Rossington, who was recovering from emergency heart surgery.
22.
Damon Johnson was the band's first member to be from Alabama.
23.
Damon Johnson performed with the band at shows across the US on the rescheduled "Big Wheels Keep on Turnin'" Tour.
24.
Since Rossington's death in 2023, Damon Johnson has retained his role in Lynyrd Skynyrd.