Rock Musician. Johns, who was already prodigious on guitar in his early teens, began working early on in the Washington D.C. area, where he became a fixture on the city’s rockabilly and roots-rock scenes. In the late 1970s, his group, the H-Bombs, briefly backed up the hitmaking pop group, the Starland Vocal Band. In 1984, he moved to Austin to become lead-guitarist in the LeRoi Brothers. His stint in the that band led to his participation in Big Guitars From Texas, a guitar band whose 1985 album 'Trash, Twang & Thunder' earned a Grammy nomination. Eventually Johns left the LeRois and formed a new version of the H-Bombs. He would go on to record nearly a dozen albums, among them 'Rollin' Through the Night' (1986), 'Vermin of the Blues' (1987), 'Bombs Away' (1989), 'Rockit Fuel Only' (1991) and 'Showdown at the Hoedown' (2005). Johns, who dealt with alcoholism for most of his life, relocated to western Canada for a few years in the 1990s, at one point falling into a coma. Further health crises marked his later years, including a broken hip in 2010 that caused him constant pain for the rest of his life. Johns, who was working on a new album, died from complications of surgery.
Rock Musician. Johns, who was already prodigious on guitar in his early teens, began working early on in the Washington D.C. area, where he became a fixture on the city’s rockabilly and roots-rock scenes. In the late 1970s, his group, the H-Bombs, briefly backed up the hitmaking pop group, the Starland Vocal Band. In 1984, he moved to Austin to become lead-guitarist in the LeRoi Brothers. His stint in the that band led to his participation in Big Guitars From Texas, a guitar band whose 1985 album 'Trash, Twang & Thunder' earned a Grammy nomination. Eventually Johns left the LeRois and formed a new version of the H-Bombs. He would go on to record nearly a dozen albums, among them 'Rollin' Through the Night' (1986), 'Vermin of the Blues' (1987), 'Bombs Away' (1989), 'Rockit Fuel Only' (1991) and 'Showdown at the Hoedown' (2005). Johns, who dealt with alcoholism for most of his life, relocated to western Canada for a few years in the 1990s, at one point falling into a coma. Further health crises marked his later years, including a broken hip in 2010 that caused him constant pain for the rest of his life. Johns, who was working on a new album, died from complications of surgery.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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