Johnny Colla
| Johnny Colla | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Victor Colla |
| Born |
July 2, 1952 Sacramento, California, United States |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, saxophone, vocals |
| Associated acts | Huey Lewis and the News, The Furlanders, Cottonmouth, Sound Hole, Sly and the Family Stone |
| Notable instruments | |
| Guitar, saxophone, vocals | |
John Victor "Johnny" Colla (born July 2, 1952) is an American musician (playing the guitar and saxophone), singer and songwriter. He is a founding member of the American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. He has been heavily involved in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for decades, having been in several other bands, including Van Morrison, Sly and the Family Stone, Huey Lewis and The News, Sound Hole, and Johnny Colla & The Lucky Devils.
The first bands that Colla was involved with from Fairfield, CA were The Furlanders, The Yewess Army and Cottonmouth. In the early seventies he relocated to Marin County, CA and joined Sound Hole as a singer and saxophonist. Sound Hole was successful at a local level and became Van Morrison's backing band for a time. Other members of Sound Hole were drummer Bill Gibson and bassist Mario Cipollina, who also eventually ended up with Huey and The News. Sound Hole was the major local competition to Huey's band, Clover. After Sound Hole, Colla was enlisted as sax man/arranger with Sly and the Family Stone, recording and touring with Sly for a few years. In the late 1970s Sound Hole and Clover alumni merged to form a new group, the American Express, which later became known as Huey Lewis and the News. For the News, Colla became saxophonist, rhythm guitarist, backing singer and songwriter.
Colla was drawn to San Francisco from the Sacramento Valley during the 1960s Summer of Love. Like many others, Colla patronized the Avalon Ballroom and the Fillmore Auditorium, eventually pursuing his idols and musical dreams over the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County.
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