Justin Johnson as Robby Krieger

My first exposure to The Doors came when I was about eight years old. I got my hands on a promo 45 of "People are Strange" and played it until the needle in my Winnie-the-Pooh record player wore out, whereupon I replaced it with a sewing needle with a paper cone attached (it worked!) and continued to play it until the record was completely destroyed (about three more times). I loved the song because it was so eerie—unlike any other music I'd ever heard, and conveyed as sense of alienation that I really related to.

I was re-introduced to The Doors at age thirteen when a friend of mine pulled out an original vinyl copy of The Doors' debut album. He played me "The End" in its entirety. I was speechless. How could anything from our parents' generation be so cool? The next day I went out and bought The Doors' Greatest Hits and listened to it what seemed like a hundred times. I didn't know it then, but I was already analyzing it, picking out parts like Robby's fuzzed-out leads in "Hello, I Love You," which were entirely on one side of the stereo field. It was Krieger's playing that amazed me the most. It was so subtle and understated, yet so memorable. I committed every note of the solo in "Light My Fire" to memory before I could even play an instrument. But later that year, I started learning guitar and naturally started learning Doors songs. I played with a pick and developed my own style, but I was influenced in a big way by Robby. When I joined Mojo Risin, I learned how to play fingerstyle and learned the songs note-for-note, emulating Robby's unique, expressive playing. I've also managed to find all of the original vintage equipment that Robby used...from the guitars, to the amps, and even the effects. All the members of the group share the same level of dedication to detail. And when we play, there is a synergy that takes us all back to 1969. Our goal is to project that feeling to the audience.

Stage Gear

Two 1968 Acoustic 260 amps with 261 cabs
1969 Acoustic 160
1965 Cherry Gibson SG Special
1967 Cherry Gibson SG Special
1974 Cherry Gibson SG Standard
1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom RI

 Black Beauty with gold Bigsby (slide)
1966 Vox Tone Bender
1964 Fender Electronic Echo Chamber
Cry Baby wah-wah

Contact • justin@doorstribute.com