Bravo Johnson (born Ricardo Amurrio Oct 17th 1973) is a California based act who has achieved some critical success since the 2000. Though Johnson's music has received little radio airplay, he has gained a large cult following. His most recent studio album, The Crooked and the Straight was released on January 20 , 2008, and is widely regarded as a landmark in Americana/classic rock.

Johnson's lyrics incorporates political, social, and literary influences, appealing widely to the counterculture. Ric has developed distinctive guitar work, and signature falsetto tenor singing voice which garnered comparison to Tom Petty and Neil Young. Although he accompanies himself on several different instruments — including piano — his style of claw-hammer acoustic guitar and often idiosyncratic soloing on electric guitar are the linchpins of a sometimes ragged, sometimes polished sound. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, he has explored many traditions of American song, from folk, blues and country to gospel, rock and roll and hard rock to folk music. Johnson performs with the guitar, piano and is backed by a changing line-up of musicians. He has toured steadily since the late 1990s on what has been dubbed "Aimlessly Drifting Tour".

The group often includes a revolving door of guests during their shows and boasts an extremely dedicated, grassroots fan base and the band is a "musicians' band" with many of their most ardent fans being fellow musicians. Although his accomplishments as performer and recording artist have been central to his career, Johnson's song writing is generally regarded as his greatest contribution.

BEGINNINGS

ROCK, COUNTRY & JAM MEETS THE OLD TESTAMENT BY WAY OF THE BASEMENT TAPES, INSPIRED BY THE FILMS OF LUIS BUNUEL

"AIMLESSLY DRIFTING" (Stone Junction Records 2006)

Originally seen in step with Indy Rock and Americana, the first official release under the Bravo Johnson name was "Aimlessly Drifting" (Stone Junction Records 2006). The album was assisted by Hendrik Roever and Inaki Garcia. Described in the Tom Petty-styled Americana vein with a take on vocal harmonies and jangly guitars that borrowed as much from the Byrds and Gene Clark as it did from Zeppelin. The songs had been polished into sophisticated musical pieces in which Roever's guitar, in particular, was used with spectacular versatility, peeling off blues-rockabilly guitar leads in the classic R&B showboating manner of Ike Turner and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

THE CROOKED AND THE STRAIGHT (Stone Junction 2008)
During the two years between albums Johnson was productive, writing many new songs, which became the basis for The Crooked and the Straight (Stone Junction, 2008). Taking a systematic, unhurried approach, the artist introduces The Crooked and the Straight a double CD that deftly mines Americana, Rock 'n Roll, alternative Country and Rhythm & Blues moulding styles at will and proving with their rock collage of musical styles, oblique, ironic lyrics -with references to the Old Testament by way of The Basement Tapes, inspired by the films of Luis Bunuel.

Johnson has been edging towards country ever since "Aimlessly Drifting," though without showing any predisposition for the literal narrative and overt sentimentality country audiences generally require, though his engaging melodies invite comparison with the best of any Nashville Music Row tunesmith's.

The album continues Johnson's mystical journey to the heart of what Greil Marcus has described as "that old, weird America" and Bravo Johnson remains a singular, original voice in modern American music. He currently lives in Venice, California.