'WORLD CLASS GUITARIST'...Internationally recognized, this award winning guitarist performs on acoustic, electric, nylon & steel string guitars and guitar synthesizer in a variety of musical styles and genres.
A pioneer of the 'New Sound of Santa Fe' tm and 'Jazzamenco' tm., the artist performs in thumbpicking, fingerstyle, and flatpicking styles...playing jazz, world, new age, latin & rumba flamenca and with classical techniques.
In addition to his concert, corporate and private performances, Wayne has also become known by many as Santa Fe,New Mexico's Premier Wedding Guitarist, in high demand for both ceremonies and receptions, alike.
Wayne is amazing! Everyone at the dinner party truly enjoyed listening to Wayne's music.
Response from Wayne Wesley Johnson:
It was a pleasure to perform for you and your guests, Cindy. Thanks for hiring me. Wayne
We hired Wayne for our wedding. Wayne was very communicative and was open to chatting by phone to go over details by phone. We had several very detailed conversations in the months prior to our event to discuss our music selections, when they would be played, etc. The communication was very organized and Wayne was great.
What struck me as a bit off was how things seemed to get jumbled at the end. Despite many conversations as well as sending a very detailed list of what songs to play during which portions of the event many things got confused. The wrong song was played during our unity candle ceremony as well as our unity cord ceremony with our kids. This also struck me as odd because Wayne had quite a bit of discussion with me about the song prior to the event because he had to find the sheet music to the song we wanted. We were also very emphatic with Wayne about only wanting seasonal music played during our cocktail hour. This also did not happen. There were other songs mixed in that we did not want and were very clear about not wanting. I was really surprised because all of our conversations were so detailed.
The times I was able to hear Wayne he played really beautifully, but unfortunately I could barely hear him for my walk up the aisle which was the reason we hired him, so kind of bummed there. The music was meant to be a special tribute to my dad who is no longer with us. Another random mention, we were in the middle of our wedding photos and Wayne attempted to pull our ring bearer from the photos to help him back up and carry his gear to his car (what?!). He also reminded me several times about the gig salad fees? I can’t control those.
Overall a mixed experience. A very collaborative, communicative start with a somewhat jumbled execution.
Response from Wayne Wesley Johnson:
When I booked this wedding, I gave Michelle a link to my website with a list of tunes from my repertoire to select from. Instead she gave me a list of songs that were not already in my repertoire. She said she wanted a Traditional wedding, but an emphasis on Christmas/Holiday music for the Ceremony and Reception. I purchased nearly $50 worth of sheet music and spent weeks and hours learning and practicing the music she requested. I knew all the songs she requested, 30 in all, and in the order she requested.
The ceremony was challenging to say the least. The aisle was only about 25 feet long, hardly enough time to perform a verse, or chorus, let alone an entire song. I had spoken beforehand with the priest, who incidentally was not in my line of vision during the ceremony. He told me that the ceremony would be short and that the candle lighting and hand tying would go quickly, which meant there was literally no time allotted for some of the music, which even though I was prepared to perform it, could not be fit in. Not my fault. Frankly, after having spent so much time learning the songs, I was disappointed that I wasn’t given time to perform them. After the Ceremony, I was given a copy of the printed program, I noticed that the song selection was not in the same order as the list I had received from prior communication with the bride. I was not advised of these changes during prior communications. I went off the list I had been provided in advance.
The reception area was 1 1/2 miles away. I had my hands full with guitar and amp and asked a young man if he could assist me by carrying just a music stand to the car so I wouldn’t be late to the reception. Upon arriving at reception I found myself competing with Carolers . I played the requested songs and added only 3 that were not. I am a Professional and felt those listening would appreciate it. In hindsight a wedding rehearsal would have helped. First time in 20 years I didn’t get 5 stars. Sadly Disappointed
I recently engaged Wayne Wesley Johnson for a private corporate dinner party in Santa Fe. The entire experience was great, beginning to end. He was quick to respond to the gig request, he was available and easy to communicate with, he was prompt and very professional. Above all, his music was on-spot and as promised. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening, and Wayne was a big part of the experience. I would work with Wayne again in a heartbeat. Wayne is a true professional!
Response from Wayne Wesley Johnson:
Thank you, Steve, for your graciousness. It was a pleasure performing for you and your guests. I look forward to working for you again sometime in the future. Best Regards and thanks for hiring me.
Wonderful music, skilled musician who was highly professional. Terrific!
Response from Wayne Wesley Johnson:
Thank you Claire. I enjoyed performing for you and your guest.
Wayne
Wayne is very good at what he does and he received many compliments on his style of music, I and many others was very satisfied. Thanks, Tomas Weis
Response from Wayne Wesley Johnson:
Thank you, Tomas. It was indeed a pleasure to perform for your guests at the Viet Nam Marine Vets Reunion.
Wayne was wonderful. Came for rehearsal, went out of his way to be helpful and sounded amazing. Then sent the songs he used for a video. Even loaned us a mic.
Thank you so much!
Response from Wayne Wesley Johnson:
Thank you so much, Lana. It was a great wedding and all went well. I am so happy that everyone was pleased with my performance. Thanks for booking me through GigSalad.
Wayne was amazing!! He was timely, professional, personable and did an amazing job. We had 180 people at our event and Wayne played all types of music that was appropriate for our event at a noise level were you could talk to each other and still also enjoy his music. He is very talented and I would recommend highly.
Response from Wayne Wesley Johnson:
Thank you for hiring me, Lisa. I enjoyed performing for your group. Would love to do it again. Regards, Wayne
Price Range: $400.00-12,000.00
Gig Length: 90 - 180 minutes
"Under Construction" In the mean time, please visit the On Tour Page at (link hidden) for performance dates.
This charismatic performer has shared the stage with some of the world's finest guitarists, too... Formerly a drummer and touring companion with legendary guitarist's Les Paul, and Nokie Edwards (The Ventures), Wayne has also shared the stage with Mason Williams, George Benson, Bucky Pizzarelli, BB King, Scotty Moore, Howard Roberts, Larry Carlton, Chet Atkins, Thom Bresh (Son of the legendary guitarist Merle Travis), Tom Doyle, Ruben Romero, Antonio Mendoza, Tommy Emmanuel, Seymour Duncan, Stephen Bennett, Stephen King, Richard Smith, Anthony Smith, Tim Farrell, Edgar Cruz, Lou Pallo *The Les Paul Trio), John 'Nightwolf' Nelson, Jon Paris, Roberto Gonzales and more.
Wayne is a regular annual performer at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society (CAAS), Nokie Festival, Association of Fingerstyle Guitarists (AFG) and the Guitars for life (GFL) benefit concerts.
Wayne now spends his time touring, performing, songwriting, recording and producing music for his own artist owned Wannadu record label. This artist knows the importance of 'professionalism' in performance and appearance and how to provide for client satisfaction. The artist selects his gear, attire and tune selection to suit any size venue and any type of occasion.
ABOUT WAYNE'S SOLO PERFORMANCES:
Solo performances include solo guitar, but, are sometimes augmented with guitar synthesizer or a technique called 'looping' which permits the artist to record on the fly and accompany himself when no other musicians are available, and the sometimes use of TV Mixes or 'backing tracks' from Wayne's latest recordings, promising the audience a great musical experience.
When appropriate, Wayne shares information about his instruments and playing styles with his audience, further enhancing the audiences participation and enjoyment.
adequate loading and unloading and access to stage is requested. signal to house system should be kept "flat" and have some reverb available.
| November 19, 2022 • 6:30pm - 9:30pm | Dinner Party |
| December 20, 2020 • 3:30pm - 4:30pm | Wedding Ceremony |
| July 29, 2019 • 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
| June 24, 2019 • 6:30pm - 9:00pm | Dinner Party |
| December 16, 2018 • 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Christmas Party |
| September 30, 2017 • 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Reunion |
| August 26, 2017 • 5:30pm - 10:30pm | Wedding Ceremony |
| March 26, 2016 • 3:00pm - 5:30pm | Retirement Party |
SONG LIST:
Black Orpheus
Classical Gas - Mason Williams
Romanza
Wave
Guitar Boogie - Arthur Guitar Smith
Cancion del alma
One Note Samba
Pipeline
Stompin at the Savoy
Granada
Perfidia
Evil Ways
Caricias Para La Princesa - Romero / Johnson
Aleye - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Malaguena - Ernesto Lecuano
Vizcaya - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Entre dos aguas - Paco de lucia
Quiet Nights - Jobim
Sweet Georgia Brown - various
Green Chile - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Stairway to Heaven - Jimmy Page
Ona From Rio - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Take 5 - Dave Brubeck
Sonny - various
Cannonball Rag - Merle Travis
Aranjuez - various
Blues in A or B flat - various
Segovia''''s Dream - Vic Cenicola
The River Suite - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Hypnotic Safari - Johnson / Romero
Fire of the Gypsy - Tom Doyle
Chi di di cha cha - Rick Randell
Rumba Oriental - Taiwanese Traditional
Sidewalks of Bordeaux - Thom Bresh
The Visit - Pat Martino
Sleep Walk (w/ steel guitar) - Santo & Johnny
Pipeline - Chantays
Green Onions - misc.
Stompin at the Savoy - misc.
Venus - Marshall
Pharoah''''s Journey - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Pipeline - Spickard / Carman
Sambaleo - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Havana Good Time - Wayne Wesley Johnson
For Django - misc.
Satin Doll - misc.
Rumba Azul (Blue Rumba) - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Blue Bossa - various
Un Poco de Elfida (A bit of Freda) - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Entre dos montanas (Between Two Mountains) - Johnson / Romero
Otono (Autumn Wind) - Romero / Johnson
La Gloria - Romero / Johnson
Short Stories - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Guitar Rag - Merle Travis
See you in my Dreams - Merle Travis
Watch what happens - various
Little Boat - various
Harlem nocturne - various
Satin Doll - various
Take the A Train - Count Basie
Theme from Love Boat - misc
By the Time I get to Phoenix - Jim Webb / Glen Campbell
Turquoise Jungle - Romero / Johnson
Zamora - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Cathedral Bells - Romero / Johnson
Girl From Ipenema - Gilberto /Getz / Jobim
How Insensitive - (Jobim) Wes Montgomery
Tenderly - various
Summertime - various
Ebb Tide - various
Cancion del alma (Song from the Soul) - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Baile de la paloma (Dance of the Dove) - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Shadow of Your Smile - various
Rainy Day - various
Camina no corras (Walk Don''''t Run) - Johnny Smith
Misty - various
Hangin'''' with the Girls I know - Thom Bresh
Melancolia - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Call Me - various
Whispering - Les Paul
Don''''t Get Around Much Anymore - misc
Touak (The Only One) - Wayne Wesley Johnson
Happy Birthday - misc.
Fire Storm
La Bomba
Tico Tico
Tequila
Guantanamera
Volare
My Way
Oye Como Va
Maria Elena
armless chair, access to 110 VAC outlet, pitcher of water
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