Sophia Johnson

I have extensive experience entertaining audiences where the music is the main focus of attention, but I am also very comfortable with performing in a corporate setting where the music is functioning in a background capacity.

I am adept at tailoring my set to suit the needs of the event. I can keep the music up beat or more mellow depending on the directive. I am also always very conscious of volume levels and can be trusted to make sure that my music is audible but not intrusive.

I have an extensive repertoire of music that I draw from and can accommodate requests for a more genre specific set. If required I can lean more heavily into instrumentals or vocal led songs, jazz, western swing, country, honky tonk, bluegrass, blues or Americana.

As a solo performer I can put on a dynamic and varied show that is entertaining and engaging. I use a looper pedal to create live backing tracks as I am playing to then play lead guitar over. I don’t use recorded backing tracks but perform everything live an in the moment.

As a band leader I have played a lot of gigs that are dance oriented, in a honky tonk or Texas dancehall setting, particularly for people who like to two step or swing dance.

Over the years of working as a professional in the music industry I have built strong relationships with a variety of musician colleagues. If required I can put together an ensemble to suit the needs of your event, I can perform as a duo, acoustic trio or full band, calling upon extra musicians to play bass, fiddle, steel, mandolin, piano, and drums with me.

I pride myself on my professionalism and interpersonal skills. I look forward to working with you to add the perfect soundtrack to your event.

Sophia Johnson is a powerhouse triple threat British invasion of the Austin roots music scene. Her trifecta of skills as an accomplished lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter have made her totally at home in a competitive music city establishing her as a unique talent and consummate performer. Since moving Texas a decade ago, Sophia has accrued thousands of hours on the band stand, as both band leader and side woman. She has gained a reputation as one of Austin’s most hard working musicians who never fails to deliver both musically and professionally.

Johnson grew up in a very musical household, her father being a self taught multi instrumentalist who educated her informally on the guitar at home, and also encouraged her to train as a classical guitarist throughout her school years. This resulted in Sophia earning a spot in the coveted Birmingham Schools Guitar Ensemble, with whom she gained much of her initial performance experience at a national level at youth music festivals.

Simultaneously, as a teenager she was a burgeoning songwriter and lead electric guitarist. She formed her first group, The Watercolours, an all girl brit pop/indie band who performed regularly on the pub and club scene in and around Birmingham. They even recorded an album of their original songs on the Isle of Wight with Mike Hugg, founding member of Manfred Mann.

Following graduation from Birmingham University, her first serious musical endeavor was as founding member of classical/jazz fusion instrumental group, Trio Gitano, whose debut record “Who Ate All the Tapas” was named the No. 4 Jazz album of the year by the Sunday Times in 2005, and with whom she performed at various prestigious London jazz clubs.

Around this same time Johnson began developing and pursuing her passion for American music, particularly traditional country and bluegrass, which was a deep love she shared with her sister and father. The Johnson family band The Toy Hearts formed around the year 2000 and went on to become Sophia’s main musical focus for the entirety of her twenties. As principle songwriter for the group, and de facto band leader, Sophia led them on extensive tours of the UK, Europe and the US. The Toy Hearts recorded 4 albums, performed many national and international music festivals, landed spots on BBC radio, an official showcase at IBMA, and opened for many artists including Robert Plant, Imelda May, Chris Thile, and Ricky Skaggs. The Toy Hearts band can even count Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, and Stevie Young of ACDC as their fans!

After many years focusing on flat picking guitar, (notably being the first and only British female guitarist to be featured in Flat Pick Guitar Magazine) Sophia began to become more drawn towards the particularly Texan style of music known as western swing, typified by leading exponent Bob Will’s and his Texas Playboys. As she deepened her knowledge and developed her abilities in this style of playing, she was able to combine her twin loves of jazz guitar and country music, and she realized she had to move to where the pulse of those rhythms seemed to emanate most. Sophia struck out on her own in 2015 and took the big step of relocating from Birmingham England to live and work as a guitarist in Austin, Texas. She quickly established herself locally as an exceptional performer, releasing her critically acclaimed first solo album of original music One Year in 2017. In 2018, after only a few short years as a resident in Austin, Sophia won best Western Swing female at The Ameripolitan awards rightfully earning her place amongst the resurgence for traditional country music.

Sophia Johnson has spent the last decade honing her craft in the lone star state, where she is in high demand as a solo performer and band leader. In addition, Sophia is also an adept side woman performing as a lead guitarist and harmony vocalist for various other artists including Sunny Sweeney, Brennen Leigh, Rosie Flores, Melissa Carper and Megan Mullallay’s band “Nancy & Beth” with whom she toured extensively, performed at Newport Folk Festival, The Grand Old Opry, filmed a PBS special, and held down week long residency at legendary New York jazz club Cafe Carlyle.

In recent years Sophia has released music with two collaborative projects. Firstly ‘Ida Red’, a western swing twin guitar project with award winning steel player Rose Sinclair. The duo released ‘Harmony Grits’ in 2021 to much critical acclaim: “two titan women of guitar who are both at the top of their respective disciplines” - Saving Country Music. The album also received multiple award nominations from the Academy of western artists.

Then 2024 saw the release of ‘Sizzling Summer’ from Tiger Alley. This long awaited debut recording is an eclectic mix of original music drawing on bluegrass, swing, country and rock and roll in collaboration with Johnson’s long time musical partner, fiddler and vocalist Katy Cox. Tiger Alley performs regularly in the Austin area, as well as having strong connections in New Mexico and Brooklyn, NYC.

In 2025 Sophia focused a lot of creative energy into songwriting and has big plans for heading back into the studio in 2026. There are forthcoming recordings in the works from the Sophia Johnson Band and Tiger Alley.

You can see catch Sophia multiple times a week playing in Austin, across the Hill Country and central Texas area. She holds down regular gigs at many top Austin venues, bars and restaurants playing in a variety of musical formations from solo to full band.

I can provide my own sound system set up, including for small, medium, large spaces and events. My main requirement if I am providing my own sound equipment is access to a power point. I do not carry my own lighting rig.