WWJ receives honorary membership in Guitar Assn.

[Wjguitar@aol.com]

   For Immediate Release

 

Guitarist Wayne Wesley Johnson becomes honorary member in AFG

 

January 17, 2004,  Santa Fe, NM.:  World class guitarist Wayne Wesley Johnson of Santa Fe, NM was presented with honorary membership in the Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists (AFG), this past weekend at the Santa Ana College where the Association held their annual convention & concert.  The presentation was made to Mr. Johnson by AFG President, Greg Atkin. Wayne was a scheduled performer at this year's convention.

 

Wayne joins the ranks with previous  honorary AFG members including recognizable guitarists, Chet Atkins, CGP. (Chet tops everyone's list), Richard Alcoy, Muriel Anderson, Al Bruno, Steve Trovato, Edgar Cruz, Doyle Dykes, Tommy Emmanuel, CGP, Laurence Juber, Gary Lambert, Al Meyers, Jim Nichols, Michael O'Dorn, Darrell Owens, George Sabolick, Bob Saxton, SGP, Richard Smith and Guy Van Duser.

 

About AFG

The AFG (Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists) is educationally oriented and dedicated to the goals of teaching, nurturing, and promoting the art of fingerstyle guitar.  This was the second time that Wayne Wesley Johnson has performed at an AFG convention. 

In pursuit of its goals, the AFG publishes a quarterly newsletter, aptly named The Sound Hole, hosts tri-annual Fingerstyle Guitar Seminars and an annual Convention, and sponsors numerous special performance events featuring AFG members.

Membership is a congenial mix of fingerstyle guitar enthusiasts who range from wanna-be fingerpickers, casual hobbyists, budding performers, to many of the most awesome fingerpickers planet earth has ever known. 

Even though they are not AFG members (at least not yet), AFG is also influenced by and admire the likes of Jerry Reed and other exceptional fingerstyle guitarists.

The legendary Merle Travis and Marcel Dadi have left indelible legacies that are oblivious to the passage of time.

AFG is also very proud to count some of the finest luthiers as fellow members. Many of the world's greatest fingerstyle guitarists have performed with guitars crafted by (alphabetically) R.C. Allen, Jim English, and Kirk Sand.

Annual Dues
Annual dues are a mere $20 -- the cost of one average priced CD. The Sound Hole as well as other mailings to announce special events is distributed to members as part of their annual dues.

Newsletter
A quarterly newsletter, The Sound Hole, contains schedules of future events, reports of recent past events, informative articles, reviews of recordings, interviews with and stories about some our most famous and interesting members, stories about favorite guitars, equipment reviews, tablature, playing tips and techniques, tricks, riffs, and much more.

Fingerstyle Guitar Seminars
These get-togethers are part tutorial, part performance, and all fun. They are held 5 or six times per year on Saturdays from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM. A nominal fee, currently $15, is charged to defray the cost of the event. 

 

Annual Convention
AFG's  biggest and grandest scheduled event is the Annual Convention. Currently held in Santa Ana, the 2-day convention consists of a series of performances by an awesome variety of some of the greatest fingerpickers around.

 

History
The club came into being with its very first Convention in Anaheim, CA in January 1997 featuring such artists as Doyle Dykes, Muriel Anderson, Lawrence Juber, Bob Saxton, Michael O'Dorn, Jim Nichols, and Chris Proctor.
J.D. Roberts is the club founder.

Many door prizes have been donated by various music stores and suppliers. Guitars has been the doorprize at each convention.

Organization
The AFG is operated by a Board of Directors -- a group of volunteers who perform the day-to-day work and planning, moving toward becoming a California Nonprofit Corporation.  For current Board members, see http://afg.org/contacts.htm

 

For more information on Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists visit

http://afg.org    or write...Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists, P.O. Box 223 , Wildomar, CA 92595, USA

 

About Wayne Wesley Johnson

'Wayne Wesley Johnson is a fine guitarist & a fine drummer, too!'

(Living legendary guitarist Les Paul at the Iridium, NYC)

Internationally recognized, this award winning guitarist performs on acoustic, electric, nylon & steel string guitars and guitar synthesizer in a variety of musical styles and genres. A pioneer of the 'New Sound of Santa Fe' tm and 'Jazzamenco' tm., the artist performs in thumbpicking, fingerstyle, and flatpicking styles...playing jazz, world, new age, latin & rumba flamenca and with classical techniques.

This charismatic performer has shared the stage with some of the world's finest guitarists, too... Formerly a drummer and touring companion with legendary guitarist's Les Paul, and Nokie Edwards (The Ventures), Wayne has also shared the stage with Mason Williams, George Benson, Bucky Pizzarelli, BB King, Scotty Moore, Howard Roberts, Larry Carlton, Chet Atkins, Thom Bresh (Son of the legendary guitarist Merle Travis), Bobby Saxton, Bobby Gibson, Tom Doyle,  Tommy Emmanuel, Seymour Duncan, Stephen Bennett, Stephen King, Richard Smith, Anthony Smith, Tim Farrell, Edgar Cruz, Lou Pallo *The Les Paul Trio), John 'Nightwolf' Nelson, Jon Paris, and Santa Fe guitarists, Ruben Romero, Antonio Mendoza, Roberto Gonzales,  and more.

Wayne is a regular annual performer at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society, Nokie Festival and on occasion at the Guitars for life benefit concerts.

In Santa Fe, Wayne can most often be seen performing with Spanish/classical guitarist Ruben Romero at the Eldorado Hotel on Saturday evenings between 8:30-11:30.  Wayne now spends some of his time touring, performing, songwriting, recording and producing music for his own artist owned Wannadu record label. A former corporate CEO, this artist knows the importance of 'professionalism' in performance and appearance and how to provide for client satisfaction. With a collection of guitars to choose from and complimentary amplification, the artist selects his gear, attire and tune selection to suit any size venue and any type of occasion.

WWJ performs for small venues, holiday & private parties, weddings, trade shows, art gallery openings, resorts & hotel lounges and restaurants, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, Anniversaries, cruises, business banquets, opening sessions, festivals, fairs, corporate conventions, political events, shows, & concerts.

Solo performances include solo guitar, but, are sometimes augmented with guitar synthesizer or a technique called 'looping' which permits the artist to record on the fly and accompany himself when no other musicians are available, and the sometimes use of TV Mixes or 'backing tracks' from Wayne's latest recordings, promising the audience a great musical experience.

When appropriate, Wayne shares information about his instruments and playing styles with his audience, further enhancing the audiences participation and enjoyment.

Budget permitting, Wayne Wesley Johnson may be accompanied by his 'JAZZAMENCO' tm band.

The artist is available for both local, national and international performances. WWJ has performed in China, Israel, Europe, Scandanavia, South America, and various locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, and Mexico.

WWJ the recording artist and Producer

Wayne is a successful recording artist & producer with over 80,000 CDs having been sold in just the past few years. A member of BMI,  his music has been licensed and airs on Muzak, Dish Network, and currently on The Weather Channel, WBTV's Roswell, and the Discovery Channel's Outward Bound series on a regular basis, and is now being considered for several film soundtracks. He has recorded with Ruben Romero, Nokie Edwards, Tom Doyle, Gao Hong, Consuelo Luz, Thom Bresh (Merle Travis' son), Lou Pallo (Les Paul trio), Anthony Smith, Tim Farrell, Edgar Cruz, and others. 

Recent Awards & Honors:

AFG - Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists Honarary Member Santa Ana, CA 2004

Guitar Nine's Top 50 Most Popular CDs Smooth Jazz / World Category 'Hypnotic Safari' December 2003

Guitars for Life Award New York 2001

Soave Guitar Festival Plaque for promoting American Music Italy 2001

John Lennon Songwriters Contest “Baile de la paloma” Dance Category / Runner Up Winner 1999

Recent Concert Performances & Workshops:

AFG Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists Santa Ana, California,

CAAS Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Nashville, TN,

Nokie Festival Eugene, OR,

Chamizal Festival El Paso, Texas,

Chimayo Museum Chimayo, New Mexico,

Keystone Pavillion Keystone, Colorado,

'Jazzamenco' Concerts Radisson Santa Fe Maria Benitez Cabaret Theater Santa Fe, NM  (SOLD OUT)

Recent  Radio, TV,  &  Music Licensing

'Entre dos Montanas' (Between Two Mountains), written and performed by Wayne Wesley Johnson & occasional recording partner guitarist Ruben Romero, was  played as part of the  music program in the Franklin Covey chain of stores (appx. 175 across the country) Another of Wayne's tunes, 'Un Poco de Elfida' will be part of an upcoming program at the chain, too.

Johnson's music may also be heard on The Weather Channel, MUZAK, Cable/Satellite TV, WBTV's Roswell, Malcolm in the Middle, Discovery Channel's Outward Bound Series. His music has also been licensed to Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, EMusic.com, Surreal to Reel, LicenseMusic.com, Sonic Licensing

PRESS (recent)

20th Century Guitar Magazine April and June 2003

Vintage Guitar Magazine (review) July 2003

The SantaFean Magazine July 2003

Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine t/b announced

Discography:

Flamenco Festival  (Narada / Hallmark Music) WWJ with Ruben Romero  

Flamenco Flavors (IAGO / Talking Taco) WWJ with Ruben Romero

Hypnotic Safari (Wannadu)  WWJ with Ruben Romero

Canciones del alma / Songs from the Soul (Wannadu)  WWJ with guests Nokie Edwards, Gao Hong, Tom Doyle, Mario Reynolds

 

For more information on Wayne Wesley Johnson visit http://wannadu.com, or http://www.gigmasters.com/jazz/waynewesleyjohnson/  or contact us at Wannadu, LLC., 7 Avenida Vista Grande #260, Santa Fe, NM 87508 505.466.8700  fax: 505.466.8702