Inspired by a few of his favorite books growing up were the Men Against the Sea trilogy by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. “With how divided our country felt leading up to the election, the stories from this series kept popping into my mind,” Johnson says. “Big decisions on which way to sail in the middle of a storm as people disagree.” And a song is born.
Johnson released his seventh LP, All The Light Above It Too, in 2017. Recently he participated in the 35th Anniversary of FarmAid, performing virtually with artists that included Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Bonnie Raitt, and more. In April, Johnson celebrated 50 years of Earth Day by hosting the Kokua Festival 2020, a Livestream with Ziggy Marley, Ben Harper, and others.
