Linda Ronstadt once told me that when she records a song, she keeps an art book open on the music stand in front of her. The pages of paintings inspired her in their breadth, illustrating the multi-faceted artistic response to, and interpretation of, the world around us. Those visual worlds opened new vistas for her in her singing. In Patience for the Ride: The Art and Life of Will Johnson, singer and songwriter John Krajicek offers a warm and appreciative tribute to Texas singer and songwriter Will Johnson, whose artistry expressed itself in a number of forms, including songwriting, painting, and writing fiction.
Krajicek has gathered 28 interviews, essays, and sketches from Johnson’s musical collaborators and friends as they honor Johnson’s contributions to music and art. According to Krajicek, “Will Johnson is a songwriter’s songwriter, a musician’s musician, and an artist’s artist.”
Born in Missouri in 1971, Will Johnson moved with his newly remarried mom to Austin at the age of 11. Music lived in Johnson from a young age: he started playing drums when he was four; he sang in the church choir; and, he started taking piano lessons (from Sheryl Crow’s mother). Johnson moved to Denton, Texas, in 1989, to attend the University of North Texas, thinking he might earn a Ph.D. in English literature and teach in college. Diving deep into the music scene in Denton, he took a detour from those plans, playing in bands and writings songs. He eventually formed the bands Centro-matic and South San Gabriel. Ceaselessly creative, Johnson recorded a number of solo albums while he recorded with these bands; he has released six solo albums—his latest is 2025’s Diamond City—since Centro-matic released its final album in 2014, and he’s collaborated on projects with Jason Molina, Jay Farrar, and Jim James, among others, and is currently a member of Jason Isbell’s band the 400 Unit.
