Kurt Johnston

If you are here on this page, it is because you want to know about the man behind the music, truth is it’s the music behind the man. My tendencies have always been to exist in a world of music. A world that brings solace to my soul, a world that fed my passion and curiosity beyond any “high” that could be pursued. Music is a “high” that lifts me even after 50+ years of playing and studying.

I have cultivated  a lifetime of listening, learning, growing, always reaching for new ways to express myself; guitar, banjo, pedal steel guitar, bass, mandolin, dobro and piano.

It all began at home. My father would start early weekend mornings playing records downstairs in the living room. Playing music from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, I would wake up and listen to the soft sound of the bass coming through my bedroom heat register from the stereo. I would try to figure what song was playing and in turn began to develop my musical ear.

I am 3rd born of 4 boys, each one 2 years apart. Growing up with music in our home it came as no surprise that my two older brothers (Mark and Wayne) started a band. When I was 13 it became official when Wayne sold me a Gretsch solid body guitar with one pick-up. This was after years of listening to record albums studying the chords and music by moving the needle back over and over again. There was no internet, no music library at the tips of your fingers; just young men and their blind ambition of hitting the “Big Time” with our band.

And so began the 20 year journey as the “Johnston’s Brothers Band”.  Later my younger brother Jeff joined us as a vocalist and sound tech. One of the highlights of our time together was placing 1st runner-up in the 1984 Wrangler Country Showdown. This contest included one act from all 50 states vying for the win and culminated in the finals at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville Tennessee. We performed 6 nights a week for many years and in the process recorded three LP’s.