Jesse Johnson
The Time's guitarist who brought punk aggression to funk rhythm work and scorching rock solos. His use of wah-wah effects—creating that liquid, vowel-like tone that slid around the beat—defined the Minneapolis Sound's guitar aesthetic. From Rock Island, Illinois, he joined The Time in 1981 and stayed until 1985. The Cincinnati food fight incident in 1982, where he was handcuffed to a coat rack after The Time's set for upstaging Prince, symbolized tensions that would eventually lead to his departure. For rhythm work, Johnson made the wah-wah pedal essential, that vowel-like tone sliding around the beat. For leads, he came forward—loud, processed through distortion and chorus effects, played with rock aggression. His approach channeled Hendrix and Santana but stayed rooted in funk. During the Triple Threat Tour, The Time would take the stage determined to show Prince up, with Johnson's guitar leading the charge. Every night was a battle. His work established that the Minneapolis Sound could be aggressive, that funk could incorporate punk energy, that a guitar could compete with synthesizers without overwhelming the mix. He left The Time in 1985 to pursue a solo career, continuing to explore the sound's potential for genre-blurring composition.