Wayne Johnson

Wayne Johnson is an American jazz and acoustic guitarist. Johnson won a Grammy Award in 2004 for his contribution to the album Pink Guitar, which featured the songs of composer Henry Mancini.

Johnson attended Boston's Berklee College of Music in the late 1970s and soon after he worked as a studio musician and toured with the Manhattan Transfer. He has recorded most often in a trio with bassist Jimmy Johnson and drummer Bill Berg, who were founding members of the group Flim & the BB's. He has been the guitarist for Bette Midler at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

Johnson has performed with Rickie Lee Jones, Elton John, John Tesh, Akiko Yano, and Lee Oskar. He is a music educator and serves as a clinician for Taylor Guitars.

As leader/co-leader

• 1980 Arrowhead (Inner City)
• 1983 Grasshopper (ITI)
• 1984 Everybody's Painting Pictures (Zebra)
• 1988 Spirit of the Dancer (Zebra)
• 1993 Keeping the Dream Alive (MoJazz)
• 1996 Kindred Spirits (GTSP)
• 1999 Apache with Jeff Richman (Miramar)
• 2003 One Guitar (Solid Air)
• 2014 The Distance with Jeff Richman (Iti Records) (reissue of Apache less one track)

On compilations

• 1995 MoJazz Christmas Album (MoJazz) track "Walking in a Winter Wonderland"
• 2004 Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar (Solid Air) track "Dear Heart" (winner 2005 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album)
• 2006 Acoustic Guitar Highlights, Vol.5 (Solid Air) track "Baby"
• 2007 Cole Porter: Delovely Guitar (Solid Air) track "Love For Sale"
• 2011 Everybody's Pickin' on Leiber & Stoller (Solid Air) track "Ruby Baby"
• 2013 Reflections: Solo Piano/Solo Guitar (Sonoton/APM Music) tracks "Best I Can Do," "Living The Dream,", "On My Way Home," "Bittersweet Reunion"
• 2014 Burt Bacharach: This Guitar's In Love With You (Solid Air) track "The Look of Love"
• 2016 Fusion (Iti Records) track "Let This Be The One"

As sideman

With The Manhattan Transfer

• 1978 Live
• 1985 Bop Doo-Wopp
• 2003 Couldn't Be Hotter

With others

• 1989 Fingerpaints, Jeff Richman
• 1998 Laguna Cove, Don Grusin