User:John D. Willis

John Willis’ love for music began in the heart of cajun country, St. Martinville, Louisiana. It was banjo that caught his interest at the age of fifteen. After discovering the music of Larry Carlton, Reggie Young, Robben Ford, and Albert Lee, John quickly switched gears and picked up the guitar. By the age of 22, John was living in Los Angeles studying guitar at The Guitar Institute of Technology. After graduating, he moved to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, a town known for its recording studios. It didn’t take John long to make a name for himself playing guitar on major records for Shenandoah, Brian McKnight, The Impressions and The Forrester Sisters, to name a few. He played sessions by day, club gigs by night, and practiced every chance he had in between. His hard work paid off. After paying his dues in Muscle Shoals for eight years, he caught the attention of David Briggs, an A-list session keyboardist from Nashville, TN. David saw something special in John, urging him to make the move to Nashville. The following week, he did.

For the past two decades, John’s guitar has become a constant on country and pop radio. His recording credits include Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Leann Rimes, Craig Morgan, Gary Allan, Gretchen Wilson, John Rich, Keith Anderson, Taylor Swift, Lonestar, Toby Keith, Alabama, Jewel, and India Arie. In 2002, John was honored with the “Guitarist of The Year” award from the Academy of Country Music.

Aside from being one of the most in demand guitar players in country music, John has branched out into the world of composition and production. His songs have been televised on CNN, The Sci-Fi Channel, PBS, The 700 Club, Lifetime, and the CMA Awards Show. John is currently writing/producing music for video games, film, and television series such as “Cheetah Girls 3” and “High School Musical 3”. When he is not hard at work in a Music Row studio, you’ll find John working within his own a production/publishing company, “Willisoundz”.