Johnny Hiland

Chewing the Gristle with Greg Koch

The mighty Johnny Hiland astounds with his telecaster manipulations and chicken-pickin'-fricassee par excellence. Known far and wide for his blazingly fast and tasty playing, Johnny is a guitar veteran of the Don Kelley Band (a Nashville institution where other veterans such as Guthrie Trapp, Brent Mason, JD Simo, and more got their start), and he's also played on records for artists such as Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith, Hank Williams III, and Randy Travis, just to name a few. He was signed to Steve Vai's Favored Nations label in 2004, and he's been ripping it up ever since. Johnny tells Greg his story as they get into the gear and the gristle!
2:12 - Thumbpickin’ (and how Johnny’s thumb is acting up)
6:05 - The birth of MTV and being able to SEE how people played guitar, and the importance of the pick, and noiseless pickups
12:40 - Johnny’s first real guitar and rig, and the glory of T and S style guitars
22:27 - The influence of early chicken pickin players, B-Benders, and The Byrds
27:55 - The Rockabilly Revival, Danny Gatton, and Roy Buchanan
37:23 - Johnny’s decision to drop out of school and move to Nashville, and growing up an absolute fiend for the guitar
47:02 - Johnny’s move from Nashville to Virginia, and knowing its never too late to make a good living as a musician
Total Length: 67:21