Johnny Ferreira

Joao Manuel Ferreira or more popularly known as Johnny Ferreira (born August 11, 1957), is Canadian-Portuguese saxophonist, songwriter, producer, and horn arranger, who plays in rock and roll, blues, and swing genres.

Johnny Ferreira was born August 11, 1957 in Portugal to Manuel and Ermelinda Ferreira. However, he grew up in Vancouver, Canada after his family immigrated there in 1963.

He attended Templeton High School and then college after graduating Capilano College in North Vancouver, Canada. School was disrupted by working with musical groups in night clubs and bars in and around Vancouver. He decided later to go back to University of British Columbia and took a degree in music during the 1980s. He however left college again and pursued a full-time professional career in music.

Ferreira's love for music started during childhood, always listening to music being played on the radio during the 1960s and 1970s. At the age of 11, he learned to play the accordion, and during high school, at the age of 17, he learned how to play the saxophone. By the age of 19, he was well into it and has been playing it ever since.

His primary influences were early rock and roll saxophonists King Curtis, Edgar Winter, Sam Taylor also known as Sam "the man" Taylor, Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, and the honkers and screamers such as Big Jay McNeely, and Joe Houston. Other early saxophone influences include Pink Floyd, saxophonist Dick Parry, Average White Band, Tower of Power, Bruce Springsteen, and Supertramp.

In 1980, while Ferreira was studying music at Capilano College, a well known band named the Pointed Sticks returned to Vancouver after having recorded an album in London, England. The sessions didn't work well and was on the verge of breaking up due to it. Their manager decided to convince them to record an album in Canada, this time produced by famous record producer Bob Rock. The band's guitar was also going to Capilano College with Ferreira, whom convinced him to play sax, with a few sessions with them which had turned well. After the recording, he was invited to join the band. The band together with Ferreira toured Canada for a year and half until the band decided to break-up. After a group stint with Pointed Sticks, he began a musical association with multi-instrumentalist and producer Brian MacLeod, member of well-known Canadian rock band Chilliwack. Brian MacLeod was also the leader of the Headpins which Ferreira recorded with. As a producer, MacLoud hired Ferreira on several other recordings including the well-known punk rock band DOA

In 1985 to 1986, he collaborated with guitarist, singer-songwriter Colin James. They both played in clubs. James moved to Vancouver from Regina, Saskatchewan after he failed to get a blues band there. For two months, he toured with American guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan. From there, the Colin James Band was formed together with Ferreira as the saxophonist. The band was doing over 300 gigs a year promoting such songs as the top charting single "Five Long Years".

In 1988 to 1989, the band recorded their first album under the American label, Virgin Records. The album was recorded first at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida with the legendary producer Tom Dowd and finished in Los Angeles with Danny Kortchmar. The album became the fastest selling record in Canadian history. The band toured with Steve Winwood, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Plant, ZZ Top, The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, and Keith Richards. The band released their second album Sudden Stop in 1990. The album went gold and later platinum. In the late 1990s, Ferreira formed his own band Johnny Ferreira and The Swing Machine, and produced albums under his own label, Pair-A-Dice Records. The band toured most of Europe.

Other career

Aside from being a saxophonist, songwriter, and producer Ferreira is also an online saxophone teacher and book author.

He runs a large membership website called HowtoPlaySaxophone.org which provide guides, instructional materials, and online tutorials on how to play the saxophone.

His books are published and sold via Amazon.com. His recently published book is How To Play Killer Blues And Rockin' Sax Solos With 7 Notes Or Less. His other books are called How To Play The saxophone – A Complete Beginner's Guide and So You've Got a Saxophone – Now What?.

Self-released albums

The following is the discography of Johnny Ferreira:

• Crazy 'Bout a Saxophone with the Swing Machine (1996)
• King of the Mood Swings (1998)
• SAX ON the BEACH (2005)
• Rock & Roll Saxophonist (2006)

Other album recordings

• Let's Wreck the Party with DOA
• Perfect Youth with Pointed Sticks
• King of the Broken Hearts with Goddo
• Ain't Life Strange with Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts
• Sudden Stop with the Colin James Band
• Colin James with Colin James
• Colin James and the Little Big Band
• Bad Habits with Colin James
• National Steel with Colin James
• Then Again with Colin James
• Right to Sing the Blues with Long John Baldry
• Can't Stop Now with Kenny Wayne
• Blues Boss Boogie with Kenny Wayne
• Head Over Heels with the Headpins
• Love and the Great Depression with Paul Hyde
• "Crazy 'Bout a Saxophone". Amazon.com. 1996. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
• "Johnny Ferreira: King of the Mood Swings". iTunes. 1998. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
• "Johnny Ferreira: SAX ON the BEACH". iTunes. September 21, 2005. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
• "Johnny Ferreira: Rock & Roll Saxophonist". iTunes. April 27, 2006. Retrieved October 18, 2012.