John Richard Jorgenson, born July 6, 1956 in Madison, Wisconsin, is an American musician. He began playing piano and clarinet at age eight and turned professional at 14. He was also a member of the Desert Rose Band, winning the Academy of Country Music's Guitarist of the Year award three consecutive years from 1987 to 1989. Jorgenson released his debut album After You've Gone in 1988. In 1993, he formed the guitar trio the Hellecasters, which won Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year from Guitar Player magazine for their debut The Return of the Hellecasters (1993). Jorgenson toured with Elton John from 1994 to 2000. He also collaborated on "Cluster Pluck" (2009) with Brad Paisley, which won a Grammy Award in 2009.
