Jesse Johnson was born on June 1, 1960, in Rock Island, Illinois. At age 15 Johnson started playing guitar. In 1981 he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. There he met Morris Day and Prince. He then became the lead guitarist for The Time. Johnson stayed with the Time until the group’s first break up in 1984. After contributing to the Time’s top songs at the time, “Jungle Love” and “The Bird”, Johnson signed a solo deal with A&M Records and released his first solo album the following year, Jesse Johnson’s Revue. Johnson would continue to release albums up to his latest release in 2009, Verbal Penetration. Johnson also regrouped with the Time in 1990, and would continue to do so for live shows.