Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Heartache: Nick Saban lookalike guitarist found

Remember that viral John Tesh video going ‘round teh innerwebs, showing a dude who looked just like Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban shredding some masterful licks during a live performance of Tesh’s Roundball Rock?

 The video was first discovered (in the Nick Saban context) by RollBamaRoll.

 Here’s the video again, in case you missed it. Skip to the 2:39-ish mark, where the dude makes it wail:




Crimson vest.  Crimson guitar.  It’s gotta be him.

Sadly though, it’s not Nick Saban. The six-stringed virtuoso in the video is a guitarist named Wayne Johnson.  Here is a photo of Johnson in studio, playing a new Taylor Solid Body Classic electric guitar:

image

And further destroying the mythical notion that Nick Saban made the violinist’s azz quit, here’s a snippet from Johnson’s website:

Wayne Johnson is an exception. Until recently, the jazz virtuoso's most visible activity was playing guitar for the pop/jazz vocal group the Manhattan Transfer, of "Boy from New York City" fame. With the Transfer, he has concertized around the world and recorded in some of the most prestigious studios in the U.S. As a soloist and the leader of the Wayne Johnson Trio, Johnson has recorded for Mojazz (Motown), MCA, and GTSP (Polygram). GTSP released his most recent solo acoustic effort, the scintilating Kindred Spirits, in 1996. But for the last two years, Johnson has had his most visible gig by far: touring as the opening solo acoustic guitarist for keyboardist/TV personality John Tesh.
Tesh fills the house at each concert, but Johnson is the one who blows the audience away. His repertoire spans a considerable range, from a stunning Beatles medley to a fiery jazz improv to his own showstopping compositions. He plays finger-style mostly, but on occasion a flatpick appears in his right hand as he rips through a jazz improvisation over a delay-looped chord progression he lays down live. He also plays screaming electric guitar in Tesh's band during the main show and is a featured soloist throughout the program.

Let the meltowns commence.

Exit question: WTF are we doing watching John Tesh videos, anyway?  I know it’s the offseason but isn’t that a little too ghey?  NTTAWWT, of course.

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