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Gary Johnson ("El Pulpo")
keyboard harp, piano, vocals, pandero, quijada, jarana
Gary’s first musical input growing up in Oklahoma
was from the church, his grandmother’s country alto,
and the country music on cornball local TV. He began piano
studies at age 7 and admired Bach, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray
Charles. Gary attended Northwestern University in Evanston,
Illinois, and studied music at the University of Oklahoma
in Norman. He was a founding member of Blue Rose Café,
the mid-'70s progressive country band that included noted
songer-songwriter Kevin Welch. Since moving to Los Angeles
in 1978 with r&b/rockers Fast Fontaine, he has played
with Del Shannon, Robben Ford, the Rick Vito Band with Russ
Kunkel and Bob Glaub, the Bonedaddys, Moris Tepper, Peruvian
guitarist Ciro Hurtado, Nicaragua’s Raymond Myers, and
Jedubley Ambouley from Nigeria among others. Gary joined Sabiá
in 1985, producing the group’s third album on Flying
Fish. He also co-produced Word
of Mouth’s Somewhere in the World and both
Conjunto Jardín
CDs. |
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