In the 1980s, Johnny Nitro received mentorship from Sunny Rhodes, who lived Oakland, and from Cowboy, the bassist for Sunny Rhodes. The city of Oakland held a rich blues music history, with its heyday spanning from the 1930s to 1960s. As Johnny Ace commented, "I know some of that Texas-Oakland grease got into Nitro’s fingers and soul from that experience." Nitro was influenced by other Texas blues musicians, such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, as well. In 1983, Nitro formed his band, Johnny Nitro and the Doorslammers, and the band issued a 45. That year, the band began to play live shows at the Saloon. At first, the band played once per week at the Saloon, but they eventually began to play twice per week. The original bass player, who was drawn to slap-funk bass style, eventually quit the band. In 1987, Johnny Ace joined the band on bass. He explained, "My bass playing made Nitro’s band sound fatter and enabled Nitro to have the freedom and space musically to wail... I kept a very simple, pulsating groove going." Gary James played guitar and a man named Arthur, originally from Los Angeles, played the keyboard. However, Arthur died sometime around 1987. By 1989, the band line-up changed to include Perry Welsh on harp and vocals ("a young kid just 18 out of Oakland"), Scott Rabino on drums, and Stu Blank on vocals/keyboard. Tommy Castro played guitar for the Doorslammers in the 1980s, as well. During these years, Nitro penned many songs. One of his most famous was "Too Many Dirty Dishes." The song was later played and recorded by Albert Collins (Cold Snap album) and recorded by Tab Benoit. That year, the band recorded music at Bayview Studios in Richmond, California. However, according to Johnny Ace, nothing was done with the tapes. In the 1980s and 1990s, Johnny Nitro primarily supported himself as a working musician, often playing shows six nights per week. In North Beach, the band played at the Saloon on Friday and Sunday nights, Lost and Found (formerly known as the Coffee Gallery) on weekends, and at Grant & Green Saloon. They also played at JJ's in San Jose, Bouncers in the South of Market district of San Francisco, Larry Blake's in Berkeley, and at private parties.