1970s In the 1970s, Johnny A. formed a band called The Streets, performing mostly in the Boston area. They had several popular radio singles, including "What Gives", which reached the top spot on
WBCN "The Rock of Boston". As well as headlining in Boston clubs, The Streets toured with and supported several major artists including
Aerosmith and
Bob Seger. They also competed in the first WBCN "
Rock 'n' Roll Rumble" in 1979.
1980s–1990s In 1980, Johnny formed the band Hidden Secret. They had several local hit singles including "No More Lonely Nights," which occupied the top spot on WBCN for 26 weeks. His next band, Hearts On Fire, placed second after
Gang Green in the 1986
WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble, and continued to produce local hit singles, including "Miss Me Bad," which was the number one local song on WBCN for thirty-three weeks. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, while working as a sideman, Johnny played with
Santana percussionist
Mingo Lewis, blues and soul duo
Delaney & Bonnie,
Derek & the Dominos keyboardist
Bobby Whitlock, and briefly with
Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer
Doug Clifford. He then began a seven-year role as guitarist and musical director for
the J. Geils Band front man
Peter Wolf. He played on Wolf's albums, co-produced his album
Long Line, and joined him on world tours. In 1999, Johnny A. launched his solo career and independently released his debut CD
Sometime Tuesday Morning.
2000s In 2000, Johnny A. signed a licensing deal to re-release his first album with
Steve Vai's
Favored Nations Entertainment. In 2001,
Sometime Tuesday Morning was re-released on Vai's Favored Nations Entertainment label Sony/RED distribution. The album spawned the #1 single "Oh Yeah" across the USA on the AAA radio format. It marked the first time in over a decade that an instrumental had achieved the top spot on radio.
Sometime Tuesday Morning sold over 150,000 copies. In 2003,
Sometime Tuesday Morning was then picked up for distribution by Danny Goldberg at
Artemis Records, and
Gibson Custom Guitar company, in close collaboration with Johnny, released a "Johnny A." Signature Model guitar, designed to the artist's specifications. In 2003, Johnny A. signed a multi-record contract with Steve Vai's Sony/Red distributed Favored Nations Entertainment and saw the release of the "radio-only" promotional Johnny A. Christmas single "Sleigh Ride", released on the label. In 2004,
Get Inside was released on the Favored Nations Label, yielding two radio singles, "I Had To Laugh", which made the
Grammy nominations ballot, and a radio edit of the title track "Get Inside". In 2006, Warner Bros./Alfred Publishing released a Johnny A. instructional DVD entitled
Taste, Tone, Space. In 2007, Gibson Custom guitar company released a second Johnny A. signature guitar, the Johnny A. Standard.
2010s In 2010, Johnny A. released
One November Night (2010 Aglaophone Records), a live DVD/ CD set recorded at
Sculler's Jazz Club in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. In 2010, Johnny also became the recipient of The Boston Music Award's
Blues Artist of the Year 2010. In June 2014, Johnny A. released,
Driven, marking his engineering debut, as well as mixing and producing. On this album he played every instrument. On December 14, 2014, Johnny was inducted into the Boston Music Hall of Fame at the Boston Music Awards. The same year, Gibson Custom released a "new" version of the Johnny A. Standard. In 2015, Johnny A. joined
The Yardbirds, touring and playing with the group as lead guitarist. On July 23, 2018, after playing with the band for three years, he announced on his website that he would not be appearing at any future Yardbirds performances. In 2017,
Epiphone guitar company released the limited-edition Johnny A. Custom Outfit, which comprised a guitar, case, and autographed certificate of authenticity.
2020s In 2020, during the
COVID-19 lockdown, Johnny A. broadcast a 90-minute free morning livestream from his
Facebook page. This ran for five days a week, producing over 300 episodes. In 2021, also during the COVID-19 lockdown, Johnny A. recorded a 21-song, instrumental re-imagining of songs by The Beatles under the working title "From A. To Beatles," which is yet to be released. On September 15, 2022, the
Fender Custom Shop launched the Johnny A. "Signature" Stratocaster made to the artist's specifications and released in two first-time colors for Fender; Lydian Gold Metallic with chrome hardware and Sunset Glow Metallic with gold hardware. ==Style==