Bill Johnson

• Active: '90s
• Genres: Rock
• Instrument: Vocals

Biography

It is a good thing when a biographical detail such as this one can be found: "Bill Johnson topped off the evening's masquerade by wearing a real 27-pound pumpkin smack dab on his head." Otherwise it might seem like just another story of musical collaboration and college rock combos, a far cry from the excitement of a Pumpkinhead sort of creature. If Johnson was to follow in the footsteps of that hillbilly monster, enacting revenge on rowdy, insensitive teenagers, his obvious target would be the college crowd in Champaign, IL. This was where Johnson met Jeff Dimpsey in 1985 while they were both living in the same dorm.

After many disciplined practice sessions as well as the "3,700 bottles of Mad Dog" mentioned in official biographies, the pair of collaborators had created not one but two bands. The first was Bad Flannel, which apparently wore well with the youthful Champaign audience of the late '80s. By the following decade, a new group called Honcho Overload had registered in the other's wake. An adept guitarist as well as singer, Johnson's career following the partnership with Dimpsey has included waking up on tour with the Morning Becomes Electric band. Johnson's first concert experience may have been Rick Springfield, but he has the excellent taste to mention the Crippled Pilgrims, a little-known Maryland band of the mid-'80s, as an important influence. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide