He then formed a touring trio group called the Eric Johnson Group with drummer Bill Maddox and bassist Kyle Brock, which never really got off the ground, so Johnson turned to working as a session musician where he worked with the likes of Cat Stevens, Carole King and Christopher Cross, among others. In 1984, He was finally signed to Warner Bros. Records as a solo artist and released his album Tones in 1986. He subsequently released ten solo albums between 1978 and 2013. In March 2014, Johnson performed with Zakk Wylde, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shephard, Dweezil Zappa and Doyle Bramhall II as part of the eighth edition of the Experience Hendrix Tour, highlighting the music of Jimi Hendrix.