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Orville Johnson

b. 1953

American musician

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About Orville Johnson

Born 1953. Orville Johnson is an American musician and guitarist.

Orville Johnson is an American resonator guitar player born in 1953 in Edwardsville, Illinois, United States. He came up in the St. Louis, Missouri music scene. A frequent session musician, he also has released a number of solo and group albums. He has appeared on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on television.

Johnson made his film debut in Georgia, appearing as a musician.

He is a singer, instrumentalist, record producer, songwriter, session player, and teacher. As his entry in the Encyclopedia of Northwest Music (Sasquatch Press, 1999) states, he has become a vital figure on the Northwest music scene. He has appeared on over 400 albums, movie and video soundtracks, and commercials, produced 22 albums for other musicians, and hosted a roots music radio show.

Johnson has taught at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop as well as the International Guitar Seminar, Port Townsend Blues Workshop, Euro-Blues Workshop, and B.C. Bluegrass Workshop.

Discography Albums Music by A Country Band (1973) The World According to Orville (1990) Orville Johnson and Scott Weiskopf (1993) Kings of Mongrel Folk (1997) with Mark Graham Blueprint for the Blues (1998) Slide & Joy (1999) Freehand (2003) Still Goin' Strong (2004) with Mark Graham Together in Las Vegas (2005) with John Cephas and Woody Mann Deceiving Blues (2006) with John Miller and Grant Dermody The Sweeter the Juice (2009) with Laura Love Southern Filibuster: A Tribute to Tut Taylor (2010) produced by Jerry Douglas "We Heard the Voice of a Pork Chop" (2012) as Johnson, Miller & Dermody "Bitter Truth" (2013) as The Kings of Mongrel Folk

Instructional Intro To Lead Guitar (DVD) Resophonic Guitar for Beginners, Vols. 1&2 (DVDs) Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Dobro, Vols. 1&2 (DVDs) Getting Started in Open D Tuning (DVD) Getting Started with Bottleneck Slide Guitar (DVD)

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Important facts

Born
1953, Edwardsville
Birth century
Occupation
Nationality

People in Orville Johnson's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Orville Johnson's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Orville Johnson?

American musician

When was Orville Johnson born?

Orville Johnson was born in 1953 in Edwardsville.

What is Orville Johnson's occupation?

Orville Johnson is a musician and guitarist.

What nationality is Orville Johnson?

Orville Johnson is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Orville Johnson

· Wikidata: Q7105239

· DBpedia: Orville Johnson

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Orville Johnson. https://biography.guide/orville-johnson/

MLA: "Orville Johnson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/orville-johnson/.

Chicago: "Orville Johnson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/orville-johnson/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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