Johnnie Johnson

Johnnie Johnson (1996)

Johnnie Johnson (* 8. July 1924 in Fairmont , West Virginia ; † 13. April 2005 in St. Louis , Missouri ) was an American musician , composer and pianist , considered one of the fathers of Roll 'n' Rock is called .

Johnson learned to play the piano in early childhood and roamed clubs and bars in Chicago in the late 1940s. In the 1950s his first band was formed in St. Louis under the name Johnnie Johnson Trio . Its success began on January 1, 1952, when Chuck Berry joined the band as a replacement.

The collaboration between the two lasted 20 years and classics such as Roll Over Beethoven were created . Johnson composed on the piano and Berry wrote the lyrics and adapted the melody of his guitar. Berry made a memorial to Johnnie Johnson with his song Johnny B. Goode .

After about 50 joint titles, they both went their separate ways and Johnson was later on the concert stage with Keith Richards , Eric Clapton , John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley .

Johnson, who had renounced his copyrights to the pieces he shared with Berry, made royalties claims on Chuck Berry in the late 1990s and sued him unsuccessfully in 2000.

On March 19, 2001, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a sideman .

When the song Blue Collar Man was re-recorded in 2004 for the album Big Bang Theory (2005) by Styx , Johnson was a special guest at the piano.

Filmography

Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, 1987; Concert film, piano
Eric Clapton: 24 Nights, 1991; Concert film, piano
Johnnie Johnson: DVD "Live at the Basement" (Sydney Australia, April 2003)

literature

Travis Fitzpatrick: The Story of Johnnie "B. Goode" Johnson. 1999

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Johnson, Johnnie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American musician and composer
DATE OF BIRTH	July 8, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH	Fairmont , West Virginia
DATE OF DEATH	April 13, 2005
Place of death	St. Louis , Missouri