BIO
Triple threat guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Sophia Johnson hails originally from Birmingham England, but has been a resident of Austin, TX for the past nine years. She has firmly established herself as a regular fixture on the music scene of her adopted hometown, performing solo, fronting her own group Sophia Johnson Band or playing with Tiger Alley, a joint project with fiddler Katy Cox. Sophia's musical versatility and skill set keeps her continually busy working as a gun for hire on guitar. She is equally comfortable singing lead or harmony vocals, and is an accomplished bluegrass, western swing, honky tonk guitarist. You can catch her performing most days of the week with one outfit or another in some of Austin’s finest venues.
Sophia released her solo album ‘One Year’ in 2016 and went on to win ‘Western Swing Female’ at the 2018 Ameripolitan awards. Sophia's band performs regularly around Austin, the set is made up of Johnson’s original songs and draws on her dynamic interpretations of classics from rock and roll, jump blues, honky tonk, country and swing music. During the pandemic Sophia partnered with steel guitarist Rose Sinclair to form a first of its kind female twin guitar combo called Ida Red. In 2021 following their collaboration through the lockdown, the pair recorded of an album of twin guitar swing music called ‘Harmony Grits’ which received much critical acclaim and several western swing award nominations.
Sophia's current main creative outlet is her band Tiger Alley and January 2024 saw the release of their full length debut offering 'Sizzlin' Summer'. The album is all original material written by Sophia and band co founder Katy Cox, it's full of catchy hooks, sophisticated arrangements and shows an assured sense of the duo's unique style, characterized by the harmonized twin lines of the guitar and fiddle. The combination of a British guitarist and an American fiddle player makes Tiger Alley's sound both vibrant and distinct, intertwining their individual but complimentary voices both vocally and instrumentally. The eclectic mix of songs on Sizzlin Summer is a direct result of both Johnson and Cox having spent so much time studying the nuances of their multiple Americana influences.
Further career highlights for Sophia include 5 albums recorded with her family band The Toy Hearts, playing guitar for artists such as Devin Jake, Nancy & Beth, Sunny Sweeney, Brennen Leigh, Whitney Rose, Rosie Flores, The Carper Family and Mary Battiata. She has toured extensively across the UK, Europe and the USA, some significant recent performances have been at; the Alaska Folk Festival, Sirius XM Outlaw Music Cruise, Newport Folk Festival, and The Grand Old Opry.
Sophia is a powerhouse of tenacity and dedication to her art form, her robust gig schedule reflects her serious commitment to her pursuit of musical excellence. Wether performing solo or as front woman, collaborating with bandmates or being a hired sideman, Sophia is an engaging and entertaining performer who has been winning hearts and fans across Texas, catch her live, you won’t regret it!
Sophia released her solo album ‘One Year’ in 2016 and went on to win ‘Western Swing Female’ at the 2018 Ameripolitan awards. Sophia's band performs regularly around Austin, the set is made up of Johnson’s original songs and draws on her dynamic interpretations of classics from rock and roll, jump blues, honky tonk, country and swing music. During the pandemic Sophia partnered with steel guitarist Rose Sinclair to form a first of its kind female twin guitar combo called Ida Red. In 2021 following their collaboration through the lockdown, the pair recorded of an album of twin guitar swing music called ‘Harmony Grits’ which received much critical acclaim and several western swing award nominations.
Sophia's current main creative outlet is her band Tiger Alley and January 2024 saw the release of their full length debut offering 'Sizzlin' Summer'. The album is all original material written by Sophia and band co founder Katy Cox, it's full of catchy hooks, sophisticated arrangements and shows an assured sense of the duo's unique style, characterized by the harmonized twin lines of the guitar and fiddle. The combination of a British guitarist and an American fiddle player makes Tiger Alley's sound both vibrant and distinct, intertwining their individual but complimentary voices both vocally and instrumentally. The eclectic mix of songs on Sizzlin Summer is a direct result of both Johnson and Cox having spent so much time studying the nuances of their multiple Americana influences.
Further career highlights for Sophia include 5 albums recorded with her family band The Toy Hearts, playing guitar for artists such as Devin Jake, Nancy & Beth, Sunny Sweeney, Brennen Leigh, Whitney Rose, Rosie Flores, The Carper Family and Mary Battiata. She has toured extensively across the UK, Europe and the USA, some significant recent performances have been at; the Alaska Folk Festival, Sirius XM Outlaw Music Cruise, Newport Folk Festival, and The Grand Old Opry.
Sophia is a powerhouse of tenacity and dedication to her art form, her robust gig schedule reflects her serious commitment to her pursuit of musical excellence. Wether performing solo or as front woman, collaborating with bandmates or being a hired sideman, Sophia is an engaging and entertaining performer who has been winning hearts and fans across Texas, catch her live, you won’t regret it!