Pat Johnson

Meet Pat Johnson. Pat is a dear friend who works with me on artist contracts and is school liaison for the Joshua Bates Centre. But, Pat is first and foremost a songwriter, singer, guitar instructor and record producer who has made his living for the last 20 years in music. He and his wife Krista, a full time potter, make their home in Charleston, ON.

Pat started playing guitar at age 21 when he was fresh out of Trent University. To say he has become an accomplished guitarist would be an understatement. Pat was an instructor at the National Guitar Workshop in Connecticut for 10+ years, where he worked with some of the leading instructors and performers in the US and Canada.

In 2005 he wrote a book entitled “Beginning Fingerstyle Arranging & Technique for the Guitar” (Alfred Publishing). He continues to teach guitar to local students.

His discography consists of four albums:

• Pat Johnson’s Songs from the Town Boredom Built (2003)
• Pitchin’ Day (2006)
• Hard Pushin’ Papa (2009)
• Stumps (2018)

His song “Cottage Slide,” which I love to see him play, was the 2003 winner of the Radar Screen Instrumental Song of the Year. Gregory Joseph of Radar Screen says “Johnson plays the slide guitar like the lost art that it is. Gives you the music at its roots … what music is all about.”

My favourite album is Stumps. Pat was performing that album in the feature photo for this post. Some press quotes on this album are “A must have for your musical library” and “the musical equivalent of a page-turning novel.”

From 2009 until the present, Pat has also been producing and recording music for other artists in his studio on beautiful Charleston Lake. One of those artists was Capt’n Tor and the Naer Do Well Cads Pirate Invasion, who have multiple international and national awards.

Billy Macinnes, Stompin’ Tom’s fiddle player for 9.5 years, and Pat collaborated on Billy’s “Strings Attached” album. The two just completed an Eastern Ontario tour performing traditional fiddle tunes, country, folk and blues. Much of the material was original compositions.

Joel Hurd of North Country Public Radio says, “Pat is a passionate musician who is fiercely committed to the music that he plays, and it shows every time he picks up his guitar.”