Reid Johnson on SoundBetter

Lead guitarist for Kelsea Ballerini. I've been happy to share the stage with The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Bebe Rexha, Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, and many more. Endlessly dedicated to creating memorable and distinctive guitar and vocal performances for your music!

Check out my reel; all vocals, guitar, and production elements created by yours truly! I'm comfortable in all genre settings, but I specialize in pop, country, and rock. I've been playing on the stage and in the studio for about 10 years now, and I'd love to bring some of that expertise and experience to your project!

Send me a note through the contact button above.

7 Reviews

Endorse Reid Johnson

by Shuhei K.
Verified
Reid was a tremendous talent, as his career has shown. He read my intentions better than I expected and answered me with his best performance.And he is very helpful and easy to work with.200% satisfied and higly recommended!!!
by Hannah P.
Verified
Fast and amazing - thank you Reid!
by Kevin Rooney
I have used Reid on multiple projects and I couldn’t recommend him enough! Reid is incredible to work with! His tones are incredible, his parts are creative and useful, and he is always very intentional about capturing exactly what the producer/artist is looking for!
by Casey Brown
I'm a songwriter / producer in Nashville with songs on the radio and Reid is one of my go-to's for guitar tracking. His ability to support the song and come up with signature parts that are uniquely crafted to elevate any given song is truly top notch. His ridiculous tone and monster playing are equally powerful tools in his tool belt. On top of that, he's a nice guy with zero ego and about as easy to work with as anybody could be. Look no further than this guy. I'd book him while you can before too many people find out about him and he gets busier and more expensive :)
by Webster Tileston
I’m an audio engineer and have worked with Reid for a decade now both as a touring and studio musician. He is far and away one of the most tasteful players I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. No matter what the song is he always manages to find parts the perfectly fit together and bring the song to life. I’d highly recommend him for any project you might have.
by Andrew Galucki
Reid is my favorite guitarist to both hire and listen to. His playing has that elusive "it" factor you hear so much about but rarely find. He is a master of finding a part that not only fits the song perfectly, but that also feels fresh and brings the song to life.

But his musicality is not just confined to his guitar skills. Reid's voice is a soulful modern blend that always finds a way to stand out and grab your attention.
by Kyle May
I've been working with Reid for almost 10 years now and he has not once missed the mark on any creation he's been a part of. I've recorded and toured with him and his musicianship, dedication to quality and creativity puts him at the top of everyone's list. I've known him as an insane guitar player, but his secret weapon is truly his vocals. They are raw, organic, and can fit in any style of music. If you've made it to his page, there's no more time to think; Reid is the guy for whatever project you're working on.

Interview with Reid Johnson

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I’m very proud of my latest spotify release, “Cryin.” The song is simple, but very strong. And the production is the same. No crazy frills, just GOOD, tasteful pop music. I sang, co produced, and played guitar.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I’m very proud of my latest spotify release, “Cryin.” The song is simple, but very strong. And the production is the same. No crazy frills, just GOOD, tasteful pop music. I sang, co produced, and played guitar.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I’m working on a number of tracks for myself and others. The styles of these run the full gamut.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog when feasible. Regarding electric guitars, analog all damn day. The difference is so obvious, even to the lay person.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise your project will be better if I’m on it. I will never send something back to you if I haven’t improved it yet.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I just love making actually good music. It’s a huge rush listening back to something you’ve made —after it’s all been mixed and mastered—and being truly proud of it. Making good music never ever gets old.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: I am often asked about turnaround times, and normally I say I can get something back to you same day or next day.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: You aren’t paying me for the time I spend on your project—you are paying me for the 20 years I’ve spent honing my craft so that your project can sound amazing.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are some good reference tracks for this song? Who are some of your favorite artists? Are you comfortable sending me all the stems I need?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Know what you want! But don’t be so married to your idea that you can’t hear other ones.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: -Collings D1 acoustic -Fender Stratocaster -A good condenser mic -Computer -Midi controller Set for life!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I got to Nashville in 2010 and studied guitar at Belmont University. I hopped on a bus right after I graduated and have been touring full time since then. All that time, I’ve been writing, producing, and tracking at home and on the road.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I lean towards grittier sounds with a lot of attitude and character. This works in pretty much all the genres I work in. My brain normally strays from overly conventional, safe sounds and ideas. The weird stuff normally wins the day—and it’s memorable.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I’d love to work with Emily King and her production team more than anything. Most days, she’s my absolute favorite. And she is a bonafide MUSICIAN. Talk about nailing subtleties and pocket! She is unparalleled as a singer and as a creator who understands groove and style. She always blows me away.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Pocket matters more than ANYTHING else in an arrangement. If that’s not right, don’t move on.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Country and pop.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I always deliver—and I’m obsessive about this— very strong guitar solos when asked for.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: It might sound a little lame, but I honestly think I have a pretty good instinct for making a song or a part “cool.” 20 different people can sing the same line or play the same part, but a lot of those will come across as flat or boring or corny. I’m always chasing the little subtleties that can take something from being pedestrian to something memorable and, well...cool!
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: On guitar, I tend to work one part at a time, all the way through a song. I might take a detour every now and then if something catches my ear, but for the most part, I’m very methodical. Vocals are a lot more freewheeling and creative for me. There are so many textures and flavors that are immediately available, and I have a lot of fun chasing those down.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a basement studio space here in my house. It’s adequately treated and sounds great. I record all my guitars through real amps in a treated isolation box, and those sound fantastic. The tones are lush and 3 dimensional, which can be more of a struggle when working with software amps like a lot of people do. I also have a wide range of acoustic guitars of varying body styles and sizes as well as a good number of utility instruments. All my vocals run through a MikTek C1 condenser mic, which sounds great, and my vocal chain is a tried and true combination of industry go-to plugins.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I love really adventurous—and sometimes strange— producer/artists like Kimbra. Anyone that is willing to get way out there with ideas and still land the plane is so impressive to me. I’ve also been getting way more into Van Halen and Eric Johnson on the guitar side for that’s worth. The right hand pocket of those guys blows me away every time.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I do a good amount of guitar/utility work in the country space, but my favorite type of work is vocals/guitar in the pop space. My brain thrives in that setting—I have a lot of fun with it.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I’m working on a number of tracks for myself and others. The styles of these run the full gamut.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Analog when feasible. Regarding electric guitars, analog all damn day. The difference is so obvious, even to the lay person.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise your project will be better if I’m on it. I will never send something back to you if I haven’t improved it yet.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I just love making actually good music. It’s a huge rush listening back to something you’ve made —after it’s all been mixed and mastered—and being truly proud of it. Making good music never ever gets old.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are some good reference tracks for this song? Who are some of your favorite artists? Are you comfortable sending me all the stems I need?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Know what you want! But don’t be so married to your idea that you can’t hear other ones.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: -Collings D1 acoustic -Fender Stratocaster -A good condenser mic -Computer -Midi controller Set for life!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I got to Nashville in 2010 and studied guitar at Belmont University. I hopped on a bus right after I graduated and have been touring full time since then. All that time, I’ve been writing, producing, and tracking at home and on the road.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I lean towards grittier sounds with a lot of attitude and character. This works in pretty much all the genres I work in. My brain normally strays from overly conventional, safe sounds and ideas. The weird stuff normally wins the day—and it’s memorable.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I’d love to work with Emily King and her production team more than anything. Most days, she’s my absolute favorite. And she is a bonafide MUSICIAN. Talk about nailing subtleties and pocket! She is unparalleled as a singer and as a creator who understands groove and style. She always blows me away.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Pocket matters more than ANYTHING else in an arrangement. If that’s not right, don’t move on.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Country and pop.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I always deliver—and I’m obsessive about this— very strong guitar solos when asked for.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: It might sound a little lame, but I honestly think I have a pretty good instinct for making a song or a part “cool.” 20 different people can sing the same line or play the same part, but a lot of those will come across as flat or boring or corny. I’m always chasing the little subtleties that can take something from being pedestrian to something memorable and, well...cool!
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: On guitar, I tend to work one part at a time, all the way through a song. I might take a detour every now and then if something catches my ear, but for the most part, I’m very methodical. Vocals are a lot more freewheeling and creative for me. There are so many textures and flavors that are immediately available, and I have a lot of fun chasing those down.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a basement studio space here in my house. It’s adequately treated and sounds great. I record all my guitars through real amps in a treated isolation box, and those sound fantastic. The tones are lush and 3 dimensional, which can be more of a struggle when working with software amps like a lot of people do. I also have a wide range of acoustic guitars of varying body styles and sizes as well as a good number of utility instruments. All my vocals run through a MikTek C1 condenser mic, which sounds great, and my vocal chain is a tried and true combination of industry go-to plugins.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I love really adventurous—and sometimes strange— producer/artists like Kimbra. Anyone that is willing to get way out there with ideas and still land the plane is so impressive to me. I’ve also been getting way more into Van Halen and Eric Johnson on the guitar side for that’s worth. The right hand pocket of those guys blows me away every time.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I do a good amount of guitar/utility work in the country space, but my favorite type of work is vocals/guitar in the pop space. My brain thrives in that setting—I have a lot of fun with it.