Over the last year I’ve watched the southeast adjacent lot at Tustin and Coast Hwy in Newport Beach, CA, reduced to rubble and dust. A new establishment was incoming. That lot brought back memories to me. In the 1980s there use to be a Tony Roma’s restaurant there, that I worked at while in college. I was a busboy there and made handsome tips.
There was a small spinet piano to the right of bar and in the evenings the piano man Ray Johnson would come in and play till midnight or so. I was an aspiring pianist myself at the time, learning the classics in addition to building my jazz repertoire at the Orange Coast College Music Department.
Ray captivated me the first night I heard him, and we became friends. I was often called off by managers to monitor my station, as I would be to the right of Ray and watch his left hand, and picked up many memorable techniques and riffs he was so gifted with. I learned his version of “Route 66,” “Bright Lights Big City,” among so many others. He was truly an inspiration. And, more importantly – his tip jar was always overfilled every night with 5s – 10 – 20s -50s.
It wasn’t until more recently I came learn so much more of him and who he played with over the years, his history in general. He hadn’t shared much with me back then, and we didn’t have the internet in those days. His showmanship was quite impressive and attribute to him many masterful learning experiences that I have come to appreciate and shared with others in the various performance venues I’ve played in over the years.
Very grateful to NAMM and their insight in having interviewed him some years later that I include in this post.
