We recently connected with Johnny Hiland and have shared our conversation below.
Johnny, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I was born and raised in Woodland, Maine with an eye disease called nystagmus which rendered me legally blind. From an early age, music became the driving force of my self-esteem and confidence. My parents were absolutely wonderful to me, but yet, they were also very hard on me. They wanted me to grow up with a “no fear” mentality.
I was an A and B student in school. My parents told me if I didn’t pay, I couldn’t play. I won my first talent show at age 5 and performed on my first TV show when I was 7. By the time I turned 10 years old, my sister, Jodi, and my brother Jerry teamed up with me to form “The 3 J’s.” We won the Talent America Competition in New York City and then we joined the Downeast Country Music Association which kept us busy on the road until I hit 15. By that time, I had already gone to see Ricky Skaggs perform and I wanted an electric guitar from that moment on. By age 12, I was playing lead guitar in local country bands until I went off to college at 18. As you can see, I had to keep my confidence level up just to keep up with myself! It was overwhelming at times, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I knew that my ultimate dream was to move to Nashville,Tennessee and pursue anything and everything guitar related that I could get into.
I attended the University of Southern Maine for three years and at the age of 21, I had to make the move to Nashville against my parents wishes. That was extremely hard on them and me, but it was just something I had to do..
As I started my music career in Nashville, I saw how competitive Nashville was in the guitar realm, so I played every single gig that I could play and never said no to any opportunity. I knew I had the charisma and stamina to play seven days a week down there on lower Broadway. Bar Room Boot Camp! Yeehaw!!
I was in heaven living my dream every single day and things started really taking off for me when I joined the Don Kelley Band at Roberts Western World! Big stars would come in and watch us play when the Grand Ole Opry moved down to the historic Ryman Auditorium,which is the place where it all started. Roberts was right across the alley! From playing at Roberts, I got to perform on Primetime Country with Gary Chapman on TNN! Plus, I got my first standing ovation at the Ryman Auditorium when I got asked to perform there as a part of Gary Chapman‘s show there. In fact, the president of the Grand Ole Opry was in the audience when I got the standing ovation and he later offered me my own headline spot on the Opry! Even though I had no idea where my career was going to take me, the Good Lord showed me that it was staring me right in the face. That was back in 2000. I continued playing at Roberts with Don until 2004 when my artist career really took off! I also met my sweet darling Kimmie there as well and we were married in 2005 just after my first record came out with Steve Vai’s label, Favored Nations.
Since then, I have toured the world with my band, the Johnny Hiland Band. I have released eight records to date and I have had two record deals -with Favored Nations and Shrapnel Records. I have performed on stage with artists like Sammy Hagar, Ted Nugent, Ricky Skaggs, Les Paul, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Joe Bonamassa, and many others! As a session guitarist, I have performed on records with artists like Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith, Randy Travis, Hank III, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Lynn Anderson, Trick Pony, Janie Fricke, Nokie Edwards, and many others. I now have several forms of guitar instruction with companies like Truefire, Jam Track Central, Guitar Vivo, Mel Bay, and Hal Leonard. I have many signature products on the market like pedals from companies like Metal Pedals, DLS Effects, Keeley Electronics, and Gig-fx. I am currently working on a new signature amp with Fat Jimmy Amplifiers. Plus, I am also proud to say that I have had two signature guitars on the market. One from PRS, from 2006 to 2010, and now, I currently have my beautiful Johnny Hiland JH6 with Kiesel Guitars! It is an amazing versatile T-style signature model that was released in 2017 and it’s still selling well to this day! You can actually order one right now by going to kieselguitars.com. Kiesel Guitars are the best USA custom built guitars on the planet for the best price!!!
In 2023, I was recognized by my home state for all of my musical achievements by being inducted into the Maine Country Music Hall Of Fame. As you can imagine, I am very honored by this and I am certainly proud to be included as a member.
So, as you can see, I have been a busy guy these last few decades. Plus, you can imagine how I had to keep my self-esteem and confidence right on point with my personality and talent. Stress, pressure, and perseverance came in to play while this all came to fruition. I have faced many battles throughout my career. You see, being a nice guy, I got taken advantage of a lot. Plus, I have always been a very heavy guy. In fact, I almost reached 400 pounds. Yes, that was pretty scary. I grew to find that as videos of me from shows or product demo videos started popping up, people became very judgmental and critical of my appearance. It really deflated me and crushed my self-esteem.
On top of all that, it was very hard for a legally blind guy to enjoy being on the road. I couldn’t see where we were traveling and I sat in a hotel room most of the time as everyone was scared that I would fall and hurt myself before a show.. Difficulties do happen even when your life seems so invigorating and exciting. I certainly tried my level best to not let anybody see the inside pain I was feeling.
The other thing I found hard was that money became difficult as an artist. People think just because you have a record deal that you are paid an enormous amount of money. That is not true in all cases. Especially mine. You see, as an artist, you might have your name on the billboard, but you are the one paying for everything on the road. It seemed like I was working really hard and pretty much coming home broke most of the time. It’s hard to keep a career going when you can barely scrape by at home. You feel like you’re working for free and watching everybody else who works for you being paid, but you. That happened to me for years!!!
So, after 22 years of being in Nashville, country music was changing rapidly, and I started experiencing hand and arm trouble. It’s not bad enough to where I can’t continue to play, but I knew my days on the road were pretty much over. So, my darling Kimmie and I moved to Chatham Virginia. We both knew the importance of being around family and we needed that in our lives. About two years prior to our move, I started on a massive weight loss journey. I have currently lost 165 pounds. Plus, I quit smoking! I used the hurt inside me from hyper-critical people on YouTube to help push me in my weight loss journey. Yes, I did it for my health first, but on those days where I felt like giving up, I used that deep hurt to keep me pushing forward. You can turn hurt into a good thing, that’s for sure.
Now in 2025, I am so happy in life right now. Kimmie and I both work from home! She does her job as I run a studio full-time here in Chatham Virginia. My long time buddy, Kenny Thurman, who is known as one of the best soundmen on the planet, is the reason my studio even exists! I had no idea that he had moved up to Danville, Virginia, even before Kimmie and I moved.
Long story short, he found out that I was up here and that I truly wanted a “blind man studio!” He designed me a studio that I could run, be comfortable in, and be creative in! I never thought it possible that I could have my own studio, where I could engineer myself, and play all of the instruments that I wanted to in the process! We now do full band tracking for people all over the world. It is a new chapter in my life and I am thrilled!! Another part of the dream I have always had has come true! Thanks to the good Lord above, I now live each and every day peacefully with my loving wife, Kimmie, being with family, playing music in my studio, teaching, doing FB Live Q&As, offering product demo videos, and trying to keep the younger generations hyped about country chicken pickin’ guitar!!! I live as a true example that a handicapped guy can follow his dreams and see them all come true. It’s possible if you keep the faith, stay true to yourself, and never give up!
I must say, it has been hard for me to open up about the challenges I faced throughout these past several years. However, they didn’t defeat me. They just made me stronger. I guess you could say that they all became life lessons for me. I am blessed to be able to continue to have a career that I love with the help of a sweet, supportive wife, a great family, wonderful people/companies who continue to endorse me, great friends, amazing fans, and having a relationship with the good Lord above has pulled me through it all!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Camp Hiland Studio We offer full band tracking for any artist or songwriter that wants to hear their songs come to life. Plus, I do several sessions where people just want me to play lead guitar. That’s fine as well.
I provide drums, bass,, acoustic guitar, electric guitars, keys, banjo, and lap steel.
We also have connections to the world‘s greatest session musicians in Nashville if other instruments are needed,such as pedal steel or fiddle. Once the song is fully tracked, Kenny Thurman can then fully mix and master the song/record. This will make it ready for your record or to be released digitally. If you are interested in our services, please email me at [email protected] for details and pricing information!
Johnny Hiland-
On Johnnyhilandofficial on Facebook, I offer a one hour live Q&A every other Saturday at 2 PM EST! Come join the fun!
This October 1 and 2nd, of 2025, you will find me in Big Indian ,New York for the Masters Of The Telecaster Camp! This will be a fun filled time with guitar greats like Redd Volkeart, Guthrie Trapp, Greg Koch, John Jorgenson, Jim Weider, GE Smith, and many others!! We will be doing clinics during the day and performances at night! Get your tickets by going to mastersofthetelecaster.org! You don’t want to miss this folks!
I also offer private lessons on Zoom. My lessons are $100 and usually last 75 to 90 minutes so just reach out to me at [email protected] if you want to book one with me. I would be more than glad to teach you
I also offer product demo videos that are guitar related for companies all over the world. If you are a company who produces guitar pedals, and you need a demo video made for YouTube or social media, reach out to me at [email protected].. I will certainly be glad to give more details on pricing, what I have to offer, and I’m sure I would provide you with just what you need to get your pedal more recognition..
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Well, I would say that my areas of knowledge and qualities are that I play 22 instruments. That was a gift from the good Lord above and from having loving parents. Second, I would say that I have always stayed humble and gracious to people around me. Third, I would say that I have become good at teaching. Patience is the key to that. Honestly, I would love to use this section to give advice to young musicians out there who want to follow their dream. I do not want to see any young musician fall into some of the traps that I did. So, here we go!
The music industry is a very hard business to be in. Everybody thinks that music is fun, and it is supposed to be. However, it is a hard road and sometimes the fun can be sucked right out of it due to the actual business itself! First piece of advice I would have is never allow the business to take away the fun and/or your love of the Instrument that you devoted your whole life to getting good at.
Second, never forget who you are and where you came from. Always present yourself well and be nice. It never costs anything to be too nice. Do as the Bible says and treat others as you would want to be treated yourself. Now, I will say, sometimes being too nice can make business people think you’re weak. Then, they feel they can take advantage of you. Never allow that to happen. That was one of my biggest mistakes/downfalls.
Last, especially for musicians on the road, make sure to take care of yourself. Being on the road, you never have a good sleep schedule and most musicians never really eat properly. In order to maintain a professional appearance, to be on time, and to perform well, you need to keep check on yourself. Take your vitamins, workout, and get checkups from your doctor before each tour. I was never very good at that. Being a road dog for many years, you just think that you’re good because you’ve done it many years before. However, life has a way of creeping up on you.
Well, I do actually have one more piece of advice. Looking back at my career, I truly wish I had stayed in college and studied the business that I was stepping into. I feel that the difficulties I faced may have been different if I had done that. So, if you are young, and you want to pursue a career in music, I would highly recommend that you educate yourself on the business before you jump into it. Don’t allow yourself to fall into the situation I was in. Protect yourself first and then you will be OK in the long run.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents were truly amazing in raising a legally blind boy. The biggest thing they taught me was that even with a handicap, nothing would stand in my way of achieving my dreams if I just kept pushing forward even when it was hard.
I will just give some examples to illustrate a few things they did for me. When I was a boy, I had my own dirt bike, bicycle, and snowmobile. I learned how to ride all of them. My dad coached basketball and baseball. I remember the day he had my brother as his catcher and he threw balls until I hit the baseball. Yes, I knew I would never play on a team, but I found out what it felt like to hit a baseball. I played basketball with my dad, my brother and sister too!
On Saturday’s, my dad and I would go for a truck ride. He let me drive. Yeah, I knew I would never have a license, but I do know how to drive. I also had my own shotgun. I could shoot pretty well and I learned how to handle a firearm, clean it, and take care of it. I also learned to love fishing because of my dad.
Remember folks, we did all of this in between being on the road all the time. I really did have amazing parents! Yes, they were hard on me, but I love them for it to this day!!
Contact Info:
- Website: johnnyhiland.net
- Instagram: johnny.hiland
- Facebook: Johnnyhilandofficial
Image Credits
Johnny Hiland live stage shots were provided by Bob Seaman. Black background still shots were taken by Kimmie Hiland. Other are family photos
