Anders Johansson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, May 25, 1962. He started to play piano at an early age, but switched to drums after a severe bicycle accident at age 14. While still in electronics engineering school, he joined Swedish classical metal band Silver Mountain and recorded the album Shakin' Brains in -83. He finished his education, but realized that music was more important to him and turned professional in 1983. It was during his time in the Swedish Navy 1982 that he met guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, in a music shop. They started jamming when Anders was on leave, and when Yngwie started his own band Rising Force in the US in 1984, he remembered his friend back in Sweden. After five albums and world tours with Yngwie, he went on in 1989 to work with John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu bassist Jonas Hellborg. They have since done several tours and albums, like e, RAF, Shining Path, and Anders Johansson - Shu-Tka.
Anders has also recorded with bands such as Bulldog, Snake Charmer, Billionaires Boys club, Aces High and others. He records albums under the name Johansson together with his brother Jens like The Johansson Brothers (self titled) and Sonic Winter. He also recorded a fusion album together with guitarist Allan Holdsworth (Heavy Machinery), and usually records the drums on his brother Jens' solo albums (such as Fjäderlösa Tvåfotingar and Fission).
In addition to doing lots of sessions all over the world as a drummer, Anders works as a producer and composer, and he is also involved in running Heptagon Records AB. Heptagon was started mainly as an outlet for Anders and Jens music, but also to reissue the recordings of their late father Jan Johansson, who was a prolific musician in the sixties and who is still an everyday name in Sweden. |
