Archie's Musical Journey....

      Archie Dee Johnson was born August 18 1951, growing up in Dublin Ca. His parents, Sid, a truck driver and Nina Belle were Texas natives. Archie got started on guitar and vocals at an early age. He started his first band “The Town Squires “with his friend Michael Stanton at age 14. In his late teens, his dad showed him an ad in the newspaper for an audition with a local Contra Costa band. Archie joined the “Blue City Band”, formally “The Mod Squad” as a guitarist/singer, joining members Rick Carlos (bass) and Tom McLain (guitar vocals) Dianne Lamanno (drums) and Jean Burke (guitar). Winning a state wide talent show landed the group an appearance on the “Paul Revere and the Raiders” television show. By now, Archie was living in Concord Ca. and writing songs more seriously than ever.

     After “Blue City Band” broke up, the as of yet unnamed band “Shagnasty” was first conceived of by Rick Carlos (bass), Gary Clontz (guitar) and Tom McLain (guitar vocals) in early 1969 and included drummer Dave Blanchard, all Concord natives. Tom came up with the name which today has been changed to “Shaggy Boys”. This original four piece version of “Shagnasty” played out at some gigs until Tom McLain suggested adding Archie to the lineup. The 5 piece group developed the use of three guitars as well as vocal harmony and original material. The use of three electric guitars worked well, so when “Shagnasty” disbanded and relocated to Las Vegas Nevada, they took the three part guitar harmonies to a new level as “Terracotta”.

     With new local drummer John Maurceri (Jackson Browne) replacing Dave and now managed by Michael Schivo, a local, well known concert promoter (author “Promoter: 5 Decades Behind the Musical Curtain”), “Terracotta” performed mostly original material like the band written “Miss Alice”, and did quite well until disbanding in 1970. Michael tells their story in his book. Terracotta was inducted into the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. While Tom and Rick returned to Concord and reformed “Shagnasty” as a power trio with Dave on drums, Archie and Gary moved to L.A. to seek careers in the music business together. He and Gary were living together in L.A., going to auditions, playing showcases and scrounging gigs, waiting for a break. Eventually, they met the musicians with which they would form the “Havenstock River Band”. Geoff Pike (piano) Jeffery James (drums) and Gordon Curry (bass) comprised the rest of the group. The band gigged and did studio work as well as playing “showcases” (usually unpaid) at clubs like the Troubadour. Their break came by chance through a recording session they were doing in a studio owned by Alex Hasselov of “The Limeliters” a folk group known worldwide. They had been invited there by an engineer they met, but when Alex showed up, he didn’t like it and gave the band an hour to finish up and leave. A couple of weeks later, after hearing some of the recordings, Alex changed his mind, contacted the band and guided them to Glenn Yarbrough, former singer for “The Limelighters” who wanted his own band to tour and record with him. Glenn went to a showcase to hear the band and hired them. They began paid practice at his Hollywood Hills home.

     Glenn Yarbrough was an internationally known artist with an instantly recognizable voice (“Baby the Rain Must Fall”). One of Glenn’s best talents was picking great songs by great songwriters, many who were his friends so the band was exposed to a variety of material outside of the rock context. Well known songwriters would stop by and pitch songs for Glenn to perform. One of these songwriters was Hoyt Axton. Glenn did a version of “Joy to the World” long before “Three Dog Night” who later scored a no. 1 with “Joy” and a huge hit with “Never Been to Spain”. Archie had become friends with Hoyt Axton during this time. Hoyt was an outdoorsman who lived on a 60 acre ranch, rode horses and collected shotguns as well as being a successful singer/songwriter. Archie was deeply affected by Hoyt and learned a lot about the craft of songwriting from him. The band holed up at Glenn’s ranch in Idewild and lived in a bunkhouse practicing 8 hours each day for a month, perfecting their set.

     Glenn was able to take Havenstock around the world, playing on professional stages in front of audiences that loved American Folk music. Each night, after a warm introduction from Glenn, Havenstock performed a set of Archie’s original songs, many on the beautiful old Guild 12 string guitar Archie had acquired from Glenn. He had Candela’s Guitars in L.A. do a dramatic redo with extra inlays and fancier bridge and woodwork with the monogram ADJ (Archie Dee Johnson) on the headstock. He still has this guitar. Some of Archie’s best songs are from this period and constitute the bulk of the songs on their first album “Havenstock River Band” on Impress 1972. Songs like “Feet Creek” “Tucumcari Highway” or “I Think of Only You” are examples of how far Archie had come as a songwriter.

     H.R.B. eventually disbanded and reformed with Gary still on guitar and Archie writing the songs and singing lead vocals. You hear this second version of the band on the recording “Live at Mammoth Lakes”. The conga player, Tony Abeyta (Monterey Ca.), would later join Archie in Sassy Flash. This second version of H.R.B. with Charles Sitterly (bass) and Steve Hyde (piano) made the demo for “Drift Away “with Steve Hyde on lead vocal for A&M Records, before it went to Dobie Gray. At Gary’s suggestion, John Batdorf (Batdorf and Rodney) sang harmony vocals on the session. The session was produced by legendary producer Jeff Barry (who had brought in “Drift Away”) and included two originals by Archie “Mockingbird” and another (title forgotten) and a song by Hoyt Axton called “It’s Been Fun”. The earliest recordings of Archie’s originals (1972) captured on a Panasonic reel tape are from this period, and have Archie singing and playing a Martin D-18 on a batch of new material. Songs like “Put out the Roses” and “Changes” bear out the fact that Archie was now consistently writing mature, powerful songs. Archie would continue to record his new songs on reel tape for many years to come.

     After Havenstock dissolved, Archie had met a singer from the Tahoe area who wanted to put together a band for casino work. He called Gary, Jeff James, (H.R.B.) Rick Carlos (Shagnasty, Terracotta, Batdorf and Rodney, Bob Weir Band) and Brent Mydland (Bob Weir Band, Grateful Dead) on keyboards and they all moved to North Shore for weeks of paid rehearsal. When that didn’t pan out Archie planned a new opportunity in Kennewick Washington. They would be working the “Steak and Ale” restaurant chain owned by Stewart Anderson, who also owned the “Black Angus” restaurants. Gary drove up with Rick Carlos in his Fiat Spyder which blew a cam cover gasket on the Shasta I-5 grade on the way. Gary decided against the gig and returned to Concord Ca. where later (1975) he put together a trio with Tom Duarte and a singer named Terri (last name unknown). After that, Gary went back on the road with Glenn. When Gary had left, Tom McLain was called to fill in until the group disbanded. Today, Gary is guitarist for the “Used Blues Band” a successful California group featuring Sean McGroarty on blues harmonica and vocals.

     When the Tahoe gig fizzled (the singer who had bankrolled two months of rehearsals turned out to be a fake), Archie formed Sassy Flash with Kristopher King, Sacramento Ca. (bass vocals), Tony Abeyta Monterey Ca. (congas) and Kaplan Monterey Ca. (drums vocals). From gigging around the Kennewick area, they began working the Ramada Inns circuit. When Tony and Jenny decided to leave the band, Archie and Kris returned to the Sacramento/East Bay area looking for a drummer to take back out on the Ramada circuit with them. Kris and Archie had a bunch of Archie’s new songs worked out as well as a couple of sets of covers. By this time Archie had written some of his finest stuff, like “Streets of Boston”, “Pioneer Square” and some even newer stuff like “Going to California” “She Walks On”, “Color Me A Picture” “Branded”, “Champagne Kid” “Magic and Music Everywhere “ “It’s So Good To Be Alive “and many more.

     Dave Blanchard, an old band mate from Shagnasty was hired as the new drummer of Sassy Flash and the trio rehearsed their material in Sacramento for a couple of weeks. The band then drove to La Crosse Wisconsin for their first Ramada Inn gig. The Ramada gigs lasted a year or so, at which time the band decided to change their name to “Jason Quik” and focus on playing mostly Archie’s originals. Keeping the group in work on the club circuit was handled by Kris King who along with driving, hauling equipment, performing, handling the business etc. only needed some change and a payphone to catch a gig and managed to keep the band working. Archie meanwhile was driving, loading in and out, then singing and playing his guts out every night. All the while, in his spare time he was writing great songs while “Jason Quik” traveled all around the mid-west playing clubs. There are some incredible songs from this period (1974-1975). “Magic Van”, “If I Fell In the Well”, “Sunshine Day” “Do Your Magic on Me” You can hear some of the first country influences show up in songs like “Country Truck Café” and “Mama Was a Bluegrass Fan”.

     It was 1975 and Archie seemed to sense the return to country music that was coming and his Texas roots started coming out in the music. Just the same, Jason Quik was a hard driving power trio and Archie was writing songs like “White Smoke and the Fire” that rocked hard. Other stuff from that period, like “Live Your Dream” or “Everybody’s Bad” are as funky as they rock. Some of Jason Quik’s last gigs were at Crabshaw Corners in Sacramento Ca. and the band was on fire at its end.

     Archie had moved to Clear Lake Ca. and was working with a band that included a horn player and a guitar player named Tom Duarte, today, a well known guitarist around the Bay area. There is a live recording that has them playing both funk/R&B and country, all Archie’s originals. There are a lot of solo self recordings from this period, all country songs as country music became Archie’s full focus during that time. In 1983 Archie reunited with his old friend Michael Stanton, who was producing country artist John Schneider. That first album contains Archie’s song “Long Neck Bottle of Beer” which was later used as a Budweiser beer slogan and commercial including a Super Bowl commercial with great success.

     Archie next moved to Templeton just outside San Luis Obispo and partnered up with Michael Hopkins, a top notch guitarist, pedal steel and keyboards player. Together they formed Archie Johnson and The All Purpose Coyote Choir, a popular country, blues, rock band that played around the S.L.O. area for about 5 years in the mid to late 80's. The band members included: Kevin McKraken on harmonica and vocals, Geert Delang on Bass and vocals, Mark Steed on drums, and Roger Wrobel on percussion. In addition to the full band Archie and Michael also performed extensively as a duo. In those years Archie was constantly composing new material, The Coyote Choir was a perfect vehicle to showcase his genius.

     After that, Archie gravitated to the Pacific Northwest where he stayed until 2013. By 1997, he had been settled around Coeur De Alain Idaho and was a popular performer at “Mad Daddy’s Blues Club” opening for scores of famous blues acts. Mad Daddy is James Gilliard, a brilliant guy and for many years a main conduit for Blues music in the Pacific Northwest. In 1997-1998 he helped Archie record and release a powerful CD of original blues material titled “Who Is Archie Johnson?” There is an astonishing video/ DVD of Archie performing his CD live at Mad Daddy’s club as well as a recording of him playing live on radio station Spokane Washington (1997). In 1999 Archie moved to Texas and spent a year there living among relatives.

     In 2001 he moved to Medford Oregon and lived in that area until 2013. In January of 2013, two former “Shagnasty” band mates, Dave Blanchard and Tom McLain visited Archie and together they performed three songs at the Trophy Club in Medford. When Archie came offstage and sat at his table, the entire room got up and rushed over surrounding Archie, cheering him. Archie has that effect on people. Today, Archie has moved to a new home and is very well taken care of by his dedicated, loving caretaker who is a wonderful woman. We’re all just waiting for him to write some new songs.