michael johnstone 2007 profile picture

michael johnstone 2007

About Me



Check out the new Tex Beaumont Music Video for "Seven Beer Girl" featuring Asia DeVinyl. Mike plays in Tex's Band "The Fabulous Dial Tones" and produced, shot and edited this video for Heartbreak Records.
Also check out www.myspace.com/sacredcowboys for additional music.Mike Johnstone – pedal steel guitar, mandolin: An incorrigible youth, Mike was sent to the Castle Heights Military Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. They may have been able to cut his hair, but they were not able to stamp out his passion for music. In fact, it was there that his true musical education began. Mike’s classmate and friend, Duane, was dedicated to learning his guitar and its musical foundation like no one Mike had encountered prior. Mike would watch for hours on end as Duane would manipulate with his toe the old B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and T-Bone Walker records on the phonograph, which sat on the floor, while trying to decipher the chords and lead progressions with his fingers. It was Duane who opened the door to all sorts of musical landscapes for Mike. While in the Military Academy, Duane started a band, the Allman Joys, with his brother Greg and invited Mike to play bass. After school ended, they went their separate ways but stayed in touch until Duane Allman’s untimely death in 1971. In the mid-60s, Mike played lead guitar in a band led by the pop singer Keith, who had a top ten hit on Mercury Records in 1967 with the song “98.6.” As Keith was climbing the charts, the Allman Joys changed their names to The Allman Brother’s Band and went on to quite a bit of success in their own right. After touring with/opening for/ hanging out with acts such as the Beach Boys, The Yardbirds, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Animals, and Cream, Mike traded his rock and roll guitar for a pedal steel. In the 70s, he toured and/or recorded with various artists such as Charley Pride, Ferlin Huskey, and Tex Williams. Others Mike has played with over the years include Leon Russell, Billy Swan, Randy Meisner, Dale Watson, Jim Lauterdale, and Riders of the Purple Sage. In addition to his work as a musician, Mike is also a music engineer and producer in Los Angeles. Most recently, he has expanded his artistic palate by landing on ongoing role as an actor on HBO’s Deadwood which is where he came in contact with Earl Brown and, in turn, the Sacred Cowboys.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/28/2007
Band Website: www.sacredcowboys.com
Band Members:
Influences: Take a shot of Hank Williams and a shot of AC DC , shake it up and serve it over the rocks– therein lies the musical recipe for Sacred Cowboys . Country, Bluegrass , Gospel, Blues -- the origin or influence of a tune doesn’t matter to Sacred Cowboys , as long it is played with passion… and usually with loud guitars. They are not reigned in by genre limitations. The first seed of the band was planted in 2001 when Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker, Peter Spirer hired actor W. Earl Brown for a role in his first dramatic feature. What began as trading songs and guitar licks on a Florida film set, graduated to jam sessions at their respective homes in Los Angeles , and evolved into a four piece version of the Cowboys that included Jeff Robertson and Stephen Quadros. In 2005, Mike Johnstone booked an acting gig on HBO’s Deadwood television series where he met Earl who plays “Dan Dority” on the show. Having played with everyone from Duane Allman to Charley Pride to the Riders of the Purple Sage, Mike was invited to play with Sacred Cowboys at an upcoming House of Blues show. Drummer Quadros recruited his former Snow band-mate, Tony Cavazo, to round out the rhythm section and Ralph Stevens came on board to play piano for this one-off gig. That House of Blues show was an astounding success. The band harnessed the wallop of heavy rock and the heartbreak of hard country on that night. As those seemingly disparate forms locked together, the players knew they were onto something. Hence, Sacred Cowboys became a seven-piece with a highly expanded musical arsenal. In addition to the House of Blues, Sacred Cowboys has played in numerous venues in the Los Angeles area, including The Joint, The Cat Club, and currently host and play a standing monthly gig, “The Deadwood Quilting Bee,” at The Knitting Factory. Created by Brown and John Hawkes (a fellow cast member of HBO’s Deadwood and the band King Straggler), the Quilting Bee is a patchwork of music & entertainment featuring cast members and friends of the hit HBO series Deadwood. In June of ‘05, the band opened for Nashville stars, Big & Rich in Deadwood, SD at the annual Wild Bill Days celebration. CMT filmed the events and aired them as the television special, Wanted: Big & Rich Alive in Deadwood. What began as an excuse for friends to get together to bend elbows and guitar strings turned into a genuine band. Catch these Cowboys while you can.
Sounds Like: My musical influences range from Chet Atkins to Duane Allman, Buddy Emmons, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan.

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Record Label: Unsigned

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