Born
in Madison, WI to an orchestra conductor and a piano instructor, John
was surrounded by music from birth. Before John's first birthday, his
family moved to southern California, where John's youth was spent studying
music -- first on the piano at age 5 and then on the clarinet at age
8. When as a 10-year-old he first discovered the music of the Beatles,
John began begging his parents for a guitar. Originally unenthusiastic
about it, his parents stalled for two years in getting John his first
guitar but eventually realized it was not a passing fad, but a true
love affair with the instrument.
All throughout school John continued to study classical music, playing
clarinet and bassoon in local orchestras -- and winning a few awards
along the way. At the same time, he played in local rock bands at dances
and frat parties, learning as much as he could about guitar from records
or the occasional chance of seeing a guitarist live. He completed his
education, earning a degree in woodwinds performance, all the while
his heart set on a career playing the guitar.
Upon graduating from college, John toured Europe with a chamber orchestra
as a bassoonist, played around the Hollywood area rock clubs with a
"New Wave" band, and learned about recording, arrangement,
and production techniques by making multitracked demos in his home studio.
Frustrated by the shallowness of the LA club scene, John took a job
at Disneyland, playing bluegrass mandolin, Dixieland clarinet, and Gypsy-jazz
guitar. The rigors of performing 7 sets daily for audiences (with no
stage or PA system) honed John's playing chops and performing skills
over a period of many years. 
In 1985, John met Chris Hillman and after a couple of short tours playing
acoustic music together, they decided to form the Desert Rose Band.
Quickly signed by Curb/MCA records, the band earned five consecutive
#1 singles, two Grammy nominations, three ACM awards, and won the respect
of fans, disc jockeys, and fellow musicians alike. During this time,
John was voted ACM Guitarist Of The Year for three consecutive years.
By 1990, John felt stifled by the confines of the country format and
left the Desert Rose Band to pursue a solo career. Twice he was sidetracked
-- first by a one-time-only performance with fellow guitarists Will
Ray and Jerry Donahue that grew into a 10 year partnership as the Hellecasters.
Described as the "Three Tenors of the Electric Guitar," the
humor and jaw-dropping technique of the Hellecasters' music drew the
immediate attention of Michael Nesmith, who asked the band to do a CD
for his new label in 1992. The resulting CD "Return of the Hellecasters"
so impressed the readers of Guitar Player magazine that it was voted
both Best Overall Guitar Album as well as Best Country Album of 1993.
The next sidetrack came in the form of a phone call from Elton John,
asking John to join Elton's band for an 18-month world tour. Needing
a "guitarist who can do lots of harmony vocals," Elton ended
up getting much more, as John contributed not only guitar and vocals,
but also mandolin, pedal steel guitar, and saxophone to his live shows
and CD’s. 18 months stretched into 6 years, and John still planned
to pursue a solo career....
Unable to postpone it any longer, John left Elton’s band to devote
himself entirely to promoting his own music. 1999 saw the release of
John’s first true solo effort -- "Emotional Savant."
An eclectic offering, the album highlights many of John’s musical
influences melded together in a well-crafted pop format. British rock
guitar supports California vocal harmonies, with Celtic and gypsy-jazz
guitars bringing spice to the personal nature of John’s lyrics.
The album testifies to John's skills as a solo artist: John played nearly
all the instruments on the album. Additionally, John wrote the music
and lyrics, and produced, arranged, engineered, and mixed the album,
and even designed the CD artwork.
To promote the CD, John assembled a band of friends and A-list musicians:
Elton John bandmate Charlie Morgan, a "drummer’s drummer"
who has played with Sir Paul McCartney among others; Glasgow based bassist
Alan Thomson, whose work with Rick Wakeman and John Martyn is stellar;
the multi-talented Jeff Ross, former Badfinger member who contibutes
keyboards, guitar, and vocals. The diverse skills of these musicians
allows John to include material from all phases of his career, which
he enthusiastically does in his current shows. (For more information
about the John Jorgenson & Friends band, click here .)
"When did John find time to play with all the other artists listed
in the discoraphy?" From 1986 onwards he has had a very active
career as an "A team" session musician in Los Angeles, Nashville,
and London, and has worked on many TV shows and movies over the years.
With all these accomplishments and accolades, is there one thing that
John is most personally proud of? John says that his biggest honor has
been to have his composition "Back on Terra Firma" performed
live at the Closing Ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia...
at least that is his favorite achievement so far!
John's
Official Website
