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
