Didier Demeslay recently interviewed Jay Johnson for "Bands of Dixie" magazine - a French publication devoted to Southern Rock.

You are the son of Jimmie Johnson, who has produced some historical records like "No Reservation" (Blackfoot) and "Skynyrd's First" (Lynyrd).  Were you in the studio with your father when these records were made?

Jay: I was present during those sessions and many many more. My Dad let me hang around the studio a lot when I was a kid.

What memories do you have of those sessions? Do you think they inspired you to become a musician?

Jay: I remember serving mugs of beer to Gary Rossington & Allen Collins, playing some game in the parking lot with Ronnie Van Zant, it was football or Frisbee, I can’t remember which. I sat through the recording of both the “No Reservations” and “Flying High” albums by Blackfoot. Along with my dad, all the great artists who came thru Muscle Shoals helped to inspire me as a player, but I have to say it was Blackfoot that really turned my head back then. Great band.

Don't you think it's rather odd now that you later performed with members of Blackfoot (SRA) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (Rossington band)...?

Jay: I’ve worked with all the original Blackfoot guys at one time or another, either playing onstage with them or opening shows for them. Come to think of it, you gotta count nearly all the original Molly Hatchet lineup there too. I was very honored to be included in the Molly Hatchet band reunion at the Danny Joe Brown Benefit Show in 1999. I wish that Duane Roland had been able to attend, but at the same time I was proud to get to stand in for him. I hope I did OK Duane!!!

How did you get involved with the Rossington Band ?

Jay: I was asked to sit in on some of Gary and Dale’s studio demos back in 1985. Gary wanted to explore a totally different sound at the time, and get away from the whole southern thing altogether. That was really important to him at that time, to prove to everybody that he could do more than just play Lynyrd Skynyrd songs. I did my parts and left, thinking how cool it was to play on sessions with Gary. About a week later Gary called me at home and asked me to join the band full time. He did not have to ask me twice!

You did the tribute tour with The Rossington Band. Was it a special tour for you ?

Jay: It was a dream come true. Any rock and roll player’s finest wish. I mean, hell, I got to work with Lynyrd Skynyrd for two years!! A great time for everybody involved.

Were you disappointed at the split of the Rossington Band ?

Jay: We all were disappointed. I think we still had at least one more good record in us. We had grown so much as a band in the three years we had been playing, the second album really showed what we were made of. We all were disappointed, but you just have to move on and carry on. Some of us did, some did not. I moved on with my music, and I am grateful to Gary and Dale for the chance to play in the band. I always will be. I’m proud of the work we did together. I do not blame Gary for ending the Rossington Band and choosing to work with Skynyrd alone, it was the obvious and practical choice. I am not angry at him for ending it. I am not happy with the WAY it was ended, however. The Rossington Band was never officially disbanded, we just never got called back to work. That’s the only thing that bugged me about the whole thing. What it boils down to is that Gary did not have the guts to look us all in the eye and tell us it was over. Whether that is a bad thing or not is anyone’s opinion, it’s just not how I would have done it. I miss the guys in the band, but I’m over it, I went on to better things. Most of the rest of the Rossington Band is over it, and it’s old news. Gary’s over it too, I’m sure. He’s got more problems to worry with than I ever will, so that’s that. I wish him the best of success in whatever he does.

After the Rossington Band, you started your own band : Radio Tokyo. This band is not well known in France. What can you tell us about it ?

Jay:  Actually, Radio Tokyo predates the Rossington Band. When we went on the Tribute Tour the Radio Tokyo band went through a forced hiatus. Charles Hart played bass in the band, and got left behind while myself, Mitch Rigel (the drummer for RT and Rossington Band) and the RT road crew all went on the road for the Tribute Tour. It was a long lived band, and a really good one, in style like a combination of Thin Lizzy, Rush and Loverboy. In its day it was one of the most popular college campus touring rock acts in the Southeastern USA. We recorded one album in 1992 which got some initial reaction from US record labels, but by then heavy metal-pop was out of style and grunge was in, so Radio Tokyo got left out of the mix. We did reach a lot of people though—Charles and I still see Radio Tokyo t-shirts worn by fans at our SRA shows, and it’s nice to know that the group is still being remembered. Amazingly enough, Radio Tokyo’s “Songscape” is about to get a new chance at life in Europe. Record Heaven in Sweden (the company that distributes SRA’s records in Europe) is planning on releasing it, ten years after it was recorded, and six years after the band broke up. Amazing things do happen in today’s music world!!

Why did the band (Radio Tokyo) break up ?

Jay:  There’s always an end to even the best things. Radio Tokyo’s members individually just got married, moved away, divorced, one became a pharmacist, we all had kids, all those things that tend to over time replace the band’s need to stay together. In my case and Charles’, we joined SRA and had little time for anything else. We still see and are great friends with all the Radio Tokyo members. They are all very excited about the “Songscape” albums’ upcoming European release.

You now have a new CD out with "Danger Road".  I think it has a more "southern rock" sound than the first.  Would you agree, and was it intentional ?

Jay:  Yes, it is a bit more “southern” sounding. Just like the last record though, we did not plan for it to sound like ANYTHING. We just write songs. We don’t try to make them sound like our old bands, or any one else’s. We just write what we hear in our heads, and if we think it is good, we’ll put it on an album. We prefer it that way. This way, the fans are hearing US. They are not hearing what record companies or managers want us to play, or think we should play. They are hearing US.

It seems as though your first album was not as well received in Europe by southern rock fans who were a little disappointed because they thought that you didn't sound enough like Molly Hatchet or Blackfoot.

Jay:  If you want a band that sounds like Blackfoot you should go buy a Blackfoot album. If you want a band that sounds like Molly Hatchet you should go buy an album by the original, real, bona fide Molly Hatchet. I know everyone expects a certain thing when they hear a southern rock band, but the SRA is not Blackfoot, or Hatchet. We are a unique mixture of styles and bands. Why should we try to be them? I think they were great as they were, and nobody can replace them. Those bands do not need the SRA to come up and start trying to be their clones or to try to ride their coat tails. There are enough fakers out there doing that now. We sound like US. If we were to try to sound like everybody else it would be a ripoff, and almost everyone would feel that way. What is southern rock anyway? Is Blackfoot southern, or is Wet Willie? They sound totally different to me, but everybody says it’s southern rock.  Some say that Jackyl is southern rock. It sounds heavy metal to me. Apples and oranges. Everybody has an opinion, openmindedness helps. At least the SRA is being true to itself and to the fans. We do not make our money ripping you off, or ripping other bands off, and we never will. We care too much for the fans to do that. If the first SRA record wasn't southern enough for you, try out “Danger Road”. One listen should solve that problem.

Do you think there is the same perception in the USA ? Is that why this new CD has a more "southern rock" sound ?

Jay:  Some people loved the “Crazy Again” album, some did not. Some fans disliked it at first, then fell in love with it after repeated playings. You say that the record was not well received in Europe, but the fact is that we have sold more copies of “Crazy Again” in Europe than we have in the US. It sounds to me like only the MAGAZINE REVIEWERS did not like it. What some people cannot seem to grasp is WHY we’re not standing here trying to re-write “Flirtin’ With Disaster”. Some cannot understand that this is not Blackfoot or Hatchet, that this a totally new, different band. If the new album sounds more southern to fans, I can accept that, and thanks, but it really was not intended to. We just write what we write, and we hope that the fans like what we do. I think that the SRA band has just become tighter as a band, and this time the songs were written and chosen as a band. The songs on “Crazy Again” were originally meant as a solo album on me. Jakson and I chose the songs, and recorded them by ourselves to begin with. The SRA band was formed and started touring AFTER the “Crazy Again” songs were recorded. Everybody just added parts to the songs over the next two years, and we released it as an album. In my opinion it is a good album, though the songs and styles tend to change direction a lot. It is not very cohesive—some songs are metalish, some are eighties-ish. Again, none of this was intended. We write what we write and make no apologies. The new “Danger Road” album is more “band-oriented”. We all were involved from the start of it, and that shows. It’s quite a rocker, and it is at the same time more cohesive and more southern flavored. I hope all the fans enjoy it. We certainly enjoyed making it for you.

On the record there are a couple of tracks credited to Spires / Medlocke.  Could you tell us more about these tracks ?

Jay: Both tunes were old Blackfoot songs that did not make any of their records for one reason or another.  The same goes for “Train of Sorrow” from SRA’s “Crazy Again” album. I cannot imagine why Blackfoot did not use these songs, because all of them are great.

There are many guests artists on Danger Road. Aren't there always many guest artists performing with the Southern Rock Allstars, even in concert ? Is it the band's wish to reunite (or jam with) the entire Southern Rock family ?

Jay: It sure would be a tough act to follow if we could reunite the southern rock family! We have a lot of old friends in this business, and we seem to be unique in that we can have our friends and keep them too! There simply are no ego clashes within this band, we have no fear of being upstaged by our peers, like so many bands do. If Jimmy Farrar wants to walk onstage and take over my lead vocals for the night, hell, he’s welcome! I love it! If Mike Estes wants to grab my guitar and go, he’s welcome! I love it! Let me sit back and enjoy the show! This band is about music, friends, fans and FUN, and the best way to do all that is to take it all and throw it in the mix. We love having our guest artist friends onstage with us, and they love it too. You never know who will show up to join the SRA onstage, and that makes every show special to our fans.

There is a cover of a Thin Lizzy song on this record. Was Thin Lizzy a significant influence on you ?

Jay:  We all loved Thin Lizzy.  Phil Lynott was such a hero to so many people.  If we get a chance there will be a Thin Lizzy cover on every album we do, because it’s great music and it gives us a chance to honor a great man.

Which bands and guitar players influenced you when you were young ?

Jay:  I started out as a drummer, listening to the Beatles, the Ventures, stuff like that.  After that I heard Blackfoot, ditched the drums, switched to guitar and went rocking.  I loved Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent, Kiss, Rush, Kansas, Saga, The Police.  Stuff like that.

Last year you played at a festival in Sweden.  Do you plan to do a European tour to promote "Danger Road"?   You now have a European label, and it could be a great opportunity for you to play out in Europe...

Jay:  Yes, it appears that we will be heading to Europe sometime this year.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Do you find "Southern Rock Allstars" a hard name to live up to?  Because then you'll have to prove on every record and at every show that YOU ARE THE Southern Rock Allstars ?

Jay: Would you prefer we called ourselves the Fat Ugly Americans? (Laughing) FUA!!! That should be the name of our European tour! “Return of the Fat Ugly Americans”! Couldn’t you just see the t-shirts in your mind??? No seriously, at one time we were called The Dixie Allstars, and I hated that name.  It sounded like a baseball team or a barbershop quartet.  SRA sounded better, and certainly fit. Everybody in the band had been involved with big name southern rock entities, so how could any other name suffice? As to proving it, it isn’t hard. We do it every night. Just come see us, and you’ll understand! The music speaks for itself!

What is next for SRA ?

Jay: Next up will be a live SRA CD and video movie.  As usual, many guests and lots of laughs. That’s what you guys are missing in Europe: The humor.  We goof around a lot, onstage and off.  You’ll get a chance to join in on the fun!   Take care!