BIO
Hailing from Birmingham, England, Sophia Johnson made her mark early on as one of the UK’s leading female acoustic guitarists. She has been playing since she was seven years old, training as a classical guitarist during her formative years, and then moving into the spheres of bluegrass, western swing and gypsy jazz in her late teens; switching from nylon to steel strings, and from being a mainly finger style guitarist to using a plectrum.
Sophia was a member of critically acclaimed jazz/flamenco fusion group Trio Gitano, after which she went on to form bluegrass & swing band The Toy Hearts, with her sister and father. As principle songwriter for the Toy Hearts, Sophia led them on extensive tours of the UK and Ireland, Germany, and the US. The Toy Hearts recorded 5 albums, landing spots on BBC radio, an official showcase at IBMA, and opened for Chris Thile, Hot Club of Cowtown, Ricky Skaggs, the Quebe Sisters, and Robert Plant. The Toy Hearts band can even count Ronnie Wood as one of their fans!
As her interest and passion for Western Swing guitar grew, Johnson realized she had to move to where the pulse of those rhythms seemed to emanate most: Austin, Texas. Sophia Johnson now lives in the capital city of the Lonestar state, where she is in demand as a lead guitarist and backup singer for artists such as Rosie Flores, Jim Stringer, the Carper Family, Devin Jake and more.
In 2016, she released her long awaited solo debut album “One Year" documenting an at times painful yet glorious transition. Johnson’s voice has never sounded so strong and clear, hitting sweet lonesome high notes in “Kitchen Floor”, and conveying devastation in “Starting Fires”. Her virtuosic guitar playing is a perfect marriage of vintage sounds and modern expression; she makes musical choices that are understated and rhythmically informed. While Sophia pays homage to her western swing and bluegrass roots with covers like “I’m an Old Cowhand”, and “Beaumont Rag”, the standouts on the album are her originals. She powerfully stands up for herself and her choices with catchy melodies like “Rue the Day”, and owns her mistakes in “Kitchen Floor”. The jewel title track “One Year” tells of pain caused by whats left behind, the growing pains and sacrifice of truly knowing oneself to fulfill an artistic destiny, which is exactly what this powerhouse is doing.
Sophia was a member of critically acclaimed jazz/flamenco fusion group Trio Gitano, after which she went on to form bluegrass & swing band The Toy Hearts, with her sister and father. As principle songwriter for the Toy Hearts, Sophia led them on extensive tours of the UK and Ireland, Germany, and the US. The Toy Hearts recorded 5 albums, landing spots on BBC radio, an official showcase at IBMA, and opened for Chris Thile, Hot Club of Cowtown, Ricky Skaggs, the Quebe Sisters, and Robert Plant. The Toy Hearts band can even count Ronnie Wood as one of their fans!
As her interest and passion for Western Swing guitar grew, Johnson realized she had to move to where the pulse of those rhythms seemed to emanate most: Austin, Texas. Sophia Johnson now lives in the capital city of the Lonestar state, where she is in demand as a lead guitarist and backup singer for artists such as Rosie Flores, Jim Stringer, the Carper Family, Devin Jake and more.
In 2016, she released her long awaited solo debut album “One Year" documenting an at times painful yet glorious transition. Johnson’s voice has never sounded so strong and clear, hitting sweet lonesome high notes in “Kitchen Floor”, and conveying devastation in “Starting Fires”. Her virtuosic guitar playing is a perfect marriage of vintage sounds and modern expression; she makes musical choices that are understated and rhythmically informed. While Sophia pays homage to her western swing and bluegrass roots with covers like “I’m an Old Cowhand”, and “Beaumont Rag”, the standouts on the album are her originals. She powerfully stands up for herself and her choices with catchy melodies like “Rue the Day”, and owns her mistakes in “Kitchen Floor”. The jewel title track “One Year” tells of pain caused by whats left behind, the growing pains and sacrifice of truly knowing oneself to fulfill an artistic destiny, which is exactly what this powerhouse is doing.
