Jesse Johnson

Illinois-born funk/soul guitarist Jesse Johnson first picked up the instrument at age 15 and spent his teenage years and early twenties sharpening his technique in neighborhood rock outfits. A recommendation from a friend prompted his relocation to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he joined the city’s standout funk-rock ensemble the Time as lead guitarist and one of its chief songwriters. His composition “Jungle Love,” the band’s most distinctive and highest-charting single, led to a solo contract with A&M in 1984; the following year he issued Jesse Johnson’s Revue. Subsequent releases Shockadelica and Every Shade of Love extended the inventive, elaborate style he had developed during his tenure with the Time. The group reconvened in 1990 to deliver Pandemonium, once more spotlighting Johnson’s songwriting and guitar work. Material from his solo catalog was later assembled on the 2000 anthology Jesse Johnson: The Ultimate Collection.