Local guitarist was as selfless as he was talented
GEOFF JOHNSON 1961-2018
Ottawa musician Geoff Johnson was a brilliant, self-taught guitarist who never hogged the spotlight, instead directing his talent towards supporting other musicians developing their craft.
The longtime host of the Saturday-afternoon open stage at Irene’s Pub died this week after suffering complications from pneumonia. Hewas57.
“I remember the first time I saw him play the Joe Satriani and Jeff Beck stuff, it blew me away because he was so technically perfect,” said Scott Amey, a friend and former bandmate. “It’s not something a lot of people play because it’s so daunting, and Geoff did it flawlessly and so easily. He was incredible that way.”
Johnson was also known as a kind, gentle and sensitive soul who nurtured rookie musicians, never overwhelming them with his own monstrous talent.
“He could be onstage and somebody would get up and have a song that nobody ever heard,” said Barb Van Doorn, his partner of 20 years. “In the first verse, he would play the main chords. In the second verse, he’d be adding harmonics to it, and by the third verse, he’d be ad libbing. He could make it sound rock ’n’ roll, he could make it sound ’50s or blues or whatever. He always chose the right type of sound.”
Johnson was born in Quebec City, the second in a family of four children born to parents who had immigrated from Jamaica. Johnson and his three sisters were raised in Deux-Montagnes, Que., by their mother, Viola, who died earlier this year. She was a school principal.
Johnson took piano lessons for several years, starting when he was six, although he didn’t love it. When his older sister’s husband bought him a guitar, around the age of 10, he took to it immediately. He picked up tuba in high school, and could play bass and drums, too.
“He had a really excellent ear,” recalled his sister, Gail Johnson. “He was obsessive. When we were teenagers, he would play his electric guitar ’til all hours of the night. He was driven, and so engulfed in it.”
In his teens, Johnson was described by friends as a “young Jimi Hendrix,” and wanted nothing more than to drop out of high school to go on the road with his band.
His sisters convinced him to finish high school first. He did one year at CEGEP, before taking a break to tour northern Quebec.
After a stint in Toronto, where he was a bicycle courier and played in bands, Johnson moved to Ottawa in the 1980s to attend Carleton University. He graduated with a BA in philosophy and legal studies. In recent years, he worked as a web designer.
Johnson’s sisters, wife and former girlfriend said he had a strong sense of social justice and believed in equality between men and women, traits that were likely instilled by the fact that he was the only boy in a family of strong women. He had no children of his own, but was close to the children of his sisters and partner.
His girlfriend during university, Helen Berry, said Johnson was an important figure in her son’s childhood. Johnson and her son, Aaron, now in his 30s, were both raised by a single mother, and both enjoyed athletic pursuits.
“It sounds a little cheesy but Geoff was very kind,” Berry said. “He wasn’t macho. He showed (my son) that you can be a man and be emotional, you can cry. There was no toxic masculinity, as they say today. It was a pivotal time, and they did lots of physical stuff together. They had their own special bond.”
Johnson’s early musical influences tended toward hard rock, the likes of Rush and Max Webster, but he also developed an interest in singer-songwriter fare while hosting the open stage at Irene’s. He was always writing music, and in 2015 released a CD of his own songs, entitled Some Friends. He also gigged occasionally with his rock band, Gojo’s Mojo, which gave him a chance to showcase his jawdropping electric guitar work.
“He was an introvert,” said his sister, Gail, “but put him onstage and he came alive. He became the music, the show. He was so extroverted, he drew the audience to him.”
Although he was an athletic nonsmoker who loved mountain biking and snowboarding, Johnson had suffered from severe asthma since he was a child. Pneumonia was a recurring problem.
Even when he was facing challenges, whether health- or employment-related, Amey said Johnson had the ability to remain positive. He also had a great sense of humour.
A celebration of Geoff Johnson’s life will be held at Hulse, Playfair and McGarry funeral home, 315 McLeod St., from 2 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 25. To hear some of his music, go to gjmusic.ca.