Jimmy Johnson (born 1956) is an American bassist known for his versatile contributions to jazz fusion, rock, and pop music, particularly as a longtime member of James Taylor's touring and recording band since 1990. Raised in a musical family in Minnesota—where his father served as a bassist in the Minnesota Orchestra for 47 years, his mother was a piano teacher and accompanist, and his brother is also a professional bassist—Johnson joined the musicians' union at age 13 and began performing professionally as a teenager in the Minneapolis scene during the mid-1970s. He relocated to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, quickly establishing himself as a sought-after session musician with his articulate, groove-oriented style and pioneering use of the five-string bass, collaborating with Alembic and GHS to develop early models in 1976.
Johnson's career highlights include founding the jazz fusion group Flim & the BB's, with whom he released the album Tricycle in 1982, and his innovative performances on Allan Holdsworth's 1985 album Atavachron, showcasing his punchy tone and technical precision on Alembic five-string basses tuned BEADG. He has recorded and toured extensively with a diverse array of artists, including Stan Getz, Lee Ritenour, Randy Newman, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Neil Diamond, Kenny Loggins, and Gary Husband, blending jazz sensibility with pop and rock grooves in the polished Los Angeles session sound of the 1980s and 1990s.
Remaining active into the 2020s, Johnson continues to perform with James Taylor, including tours in 2024 and 2025, and has contributed to recent fusion projects, such as Mike Miller's Trust (2022), Gary Husband's Vaudeville 8:45 (2022), Jeff Kollman's album (2024), and Indonesian guitarist Dewa Budjana's albums Naurora (2021) and Surya Namaskar (2014), where his clear, full-toned playing enhances complex jazz-rock arrangements alongside musicians like Vinnie Colaiuta and Simon Phillips.
Johnson's career highlights include founding the jazz fusion group Flim & the BB's, with whom he released the album Tricycle in 1982, and his innovative performances on Allan Holdsworth's 1985 album Atavachron, showcasing his punchy tone and technical precision on Alembic five-string basses tuned BEADG. He has recorded and toured extensively with a diverse array of artists, including Stan Getz, Lee Ritenour, Randy Newman, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Neil Diamond, Kenny Loggins, and Gary Husband, blending jazz sensibility with pop and rock grooves in the polished Los Angeles session sound of the 1980s and 1990s.
Remaining active into the 2020s, Johnson continues to perform with James Taylor, including tours in 2024 and 2025, and has contributed to recent fusion projects, such as Mike Miller's Trust (2022), Gary Husband's Vaudeville 8:45 (2022), Jeff Kollman's album (2024), and Indonesian guitarist Dewa Budjana's albums Naurora (2021) and Surya Namaskar (2014), where his clear, full-toned playing enhances complex jazz-rock arrangements alongside musicians like Vinnie Colaiuta and Simon Phillips.
