Johnny Blue Skies: The Art Behind Our Designs
Most of the designs in this store carry one name that isn't quite mine: Johnny Blue Skies. Here's who that is, and what you'll find on the art.
Who is Johnny Blue Skies?
Johnny Blue Skies is my alter ego. The name goes back further than the albums: it was the production company on the Sound & Fury film, and it hid in the artwork of A Sailor's Guide to Earth as an easter egg.
Which records came out under that name?
Passage du Desir: released on July 12, 2024, on High Top Mountain. Mutiny After Midnight: released on March 13, 2026, billed as Johnny Blue Skies and the Dark Clouds. It's a dance record.
What's on the designs?
- Sun and moon: two haloed figures, an owl in flight, a blazing sun and a crescent moon inside an arch, with Johnny Blue Skies in curling letters underneath.
- Card XIII: a tarot-style card numbered XIII, a knight on a white horse riding through the water past a great serpent.
- The ferryman: a hooded figure poling a boat across dark water under a black sun, with planets and a lantern around him.
- The lion: a woman with a fireball resting on a lion, under a big orange sun and smoke-like lettering.
- The skull: a laughing skull next to three signal flags, over Johnny and a pink blue skies script.
- The Dark Clouds: a retro wordmark, Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds, in teal, orange and red.
And the designs with my own name?
Two doves: a pair of doves on a leafy branch, sketched in brown, over Sturgill Simpson in bold letters.
Which one should you pick?
Big and bold: the lion or the sun and moon fill the front of a hoodie. Clean and simple: the doves or the Dark Clouds wordmark go with almost anything.
Every design comes on tees, long sleeves, crewnecks and hoodies, with kids' and youth sizes. Find yours in the shop.