Have you ever wondered what the net worth of Damon Johnson is?
The legendary American guitarist and singer is known for joining and touring with the iconic rock bands Brother Cane, Thin Lizzy, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He wrote songs for Stevie Nicks and Carlos Santana and has had a successful solo career.
As of May 2023, Damon Johnson has a net worth of about $3 million.
Table of Contents
Early Life
Damon Rogers Johnson was born in Macon, Georgia, on July 13, 1964. His family moved to Monroeville, Alabama, where he grew up and first got interested in guitar music.
His foray into rock was his first garage band, called Renegade, which he formed with fellow 8th graders. He also continued to play guitar into his high school years with other garage bands after his family moved to Geraldine, Alabama.
Damon Johnson then joined and played with various local bands, including Headline, Split the Dark, the Georgia band Witness, Chinatown, and Chyld.
Virgin Records approached Chyld and signed a developmental deal that resulted in Johnson taking over lead vocals and changing the name of the band to Brother Cane.
Rise to Fame
With Brother Cane, Damon Johnson started his journey to becoming a household name. The band released their self-titled debut album on May 10, 1993.
The debut album had two singles, “Got No Shame” and “That Don’t Satisfy Me.” Both songs were charted on the Billboard Mainstream Rock singles chart at #2 and #6, respectively.
The self-titled Brother Cane debut album only managed to chart at #14 in the Heatseekers chart, selling over 250,000 copies.
Their subsequent album, Seeds, released on July 4, 1995, had a little more luck when it came to popularity.
This popularity is mainly thanks to the inclusion of “Hung On a Rope”, “And Fools Shine On”, “20/20 Faith”, and “Horses & Needles” on the soundtrack of the horror classic Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers.
The lead single from Seeds, “And Fools Shine On,” peaked at #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
The third and final album by the band, released on March 31, 1998, is Wishpool. This album gave Brother Cane a #1 Mainstream Rock chart single, “I Lie in the Bed I Make.”
Damon Johnson regards this album as the thing he’s most proud of making, remarking it was his most personal statement as a lyricist. The album was created during a tumultuous time in his marriage, which resulted in intimate lyrics and musical compositions.
However, the band’s releases failed to capture media attention, with a clear lack of interest from major music publications. This led to poor sales, and Virgin Records released the band from their contract, after which the members decided to disband.
Career Highlights
As a member of Brother Cane, Damon Johnson toured extensively during the 1990s both as a headlining band and as a supporting act for huge names such as Van Halen, Candlebox, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Robert Plant.
In 1997, Johnson co-wrote and played guitar on Sammy Hagar’s album, Marching to Mars.
In 2000, he recorded and released an acoustic solo album called Dust, which features mostly original songs he composed.
In 2001, he co-wrote a song called “Every Day” with Stevie Nicks, which was released on her album, Trouble in Shangri-La.
That same year, he teamed up with producer Kelly Gray and Queensrÿche drummer Scott Rockenfield to form the side project Slave to the System. Together, they independently released their self-titled album in 2002, which was re-released by Spitfire records in 2006.
In 2002, he played electric and acoustic guitars on Faith Hill’s hit “Cry.”
In 2003, Johnson wrote, played bass, and contributed the vocals to the Red Halo EP Dead Man’s Vitamins.
During that time between 2001 and 2003, he played lead guitar for rock legend John Waite.
In 2004, Johnson joined Alice Cooper’s band, co-writing the album Dirty Diamonds and joining him on tour between 2004–2007
In 2005, he co-wrote the Carlos Santana song “Just Feel Better” with Jamie Houston and Buck Johnson.
In 2007, he took some time off from Alice Cooper’s band to form the country rock band Whiskey Falls with Seven Williams, Wally Brandt, and Buck Johnson.
The band released their self-titled album on September 25, 2007. It peaked at #25 on the Country Music chart and at #171 on the Billboard 200 chart.
He returned as a touring guitarist for Alice Cooper’s band in 2009 and was featured in the DVD release Theatre of Death – Live at Hammersmith, which was released in 2010.
In 2010, Damon Johnson released his second studio album, Release, which featured his acoustic renditions of the songs he co-wrote for Stevie Nicks and Carlos Santana. It also featured a duet with his daughter, Sarah Marlo Johnson.
In 2011, Thin Lizzy guitarist Scot Gorham called Johnson about replacing the band’s temporary guitarist for their upcoming tour. Johnson took the offer and toured with the band almost nonstop for two years.
In 2012, the members of Thin Lizzy wanted to record new material, but due to the loss of frontman Phil Lynott, the band chose to record and play under the name Black Star Riders.
In 2013, Black Star Riders released their debut album, All Hell Breaks Loose, which Johnson co-wrote with frontman Ricky Warwick.
In 2015, they released the second album, The Killer Instinct, which they wrote during the first album tour. It reached #13 on the UK album chart.
In 2017, the band released their third album, Heavy Fire, which peaked at #6 on the UK album chart. The band toured the album with Judas Priest and Saxon.
In 2018, Damon Johnson left Black Star Riders to focus on his solo work. He released another solo album, Memoirs of an Uprising, which he toured with the band Damon Johnson & The Get Ready.
In 2021, he released another album titled, Battlessons, this time under the band name Damon Johnson & The Get Ready. The band toured the album in 2021 and most of 2022.
In July 2021, he was added to the lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd as a replacement for Gary Rossington. Ironically, he’s the only member of the band to have ever lived in Alabama. This finally adds legitimacy to the band’s biggest song, “Sweet Home Alabama.”
In 2022, Brother Cane reformed and performed a few reunion shows that will extend to early 2023. This marks the first time they performed together since 2013.
Damon Johnson Net Worth 2023
As of May 2023, Damon has a net worth of about $3 million.
This fortune was mostly amassed from his extensive touring with headliners like Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
It also comes from his co-writing credits on the Stevie Nicks and Santana records. That’s not to mention his solo career, which includes four records and a huge touring resume.
There’s not much information online regarding Damon Johnson’s assets or what he invests his fortune in. That said, he continues to tour with his bands, The Get Ready and Brother Cane, which brings in revenue from ticket sales.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How old is Damon Johnson?
Damon Rogers Johnson was born on July 13, 1964, which makes him 58 years old as of January 2023.
Who is Damon Johnson and the Get Ready?
The band that performs Damon Johnson’s solo material as well as the album released under the name “Damon Johnson & The Get Ready” is formed of bass guitarist Robbie Harrington and drummer Jarred Pope, alongside Damon Johnson on lead vocals and guitar.
Whom is Damon Johnson dating?
Damon Johnson has been married to Lynda Marie Johnson since November 30, 2002. They share a son, Gabriel, and a daughter, Jolene Lucinda. He also has two daughters, Heather and Sarah Marlo, from a previous relationship.
Key Takeaways
Do What You Love
Damon Rogers Johnson has had a long and successful career that spanned almost four decades because he’s always been passionate about playing guitar and writing music.
He started as early as 8th grade and pursued it with all he had. Even when success wasn’t in the cards for one of his projects, he went on to try something new.
Don’t Be Afraid of Collaboration
In any creative career, bringing in someone new to bounce ideas off of can make your art fresh and interesting. Damon Johnson has the career he has because he didn’t allow himself to stagnate as an artist.
Just think of how he allowed himself some time to focus on his solo career after his success with Brother Cane. Then, he joined other artists like Stevie Nicks, Santana, and Alice Cooper to produce new material.
You can also see it in the many successful supergroups he’s been in; Slaves to the System, Red Halo, and Whiskey Falls. They all enjoyed a level of success in a few years that many bands don’t see during long careers.
Be Humble & Consistent
It’s also worth noting that Damon Johnson doesn’t care about being the frontman. This shows in his constant search for the next collaborative effort, even if he’s not the leading name in the project.
What matters the most to him is being consistent and hardworking, which is why he’s still relevant to this day.