Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson dies

[J.A.W.]

I just got this e-mail from CNN:

Johnnie Johnson, a rock 'n' roll pioneer who teamed with Chuck Berry for hits like "Roll Over Beethoven" and "No Particular Place to Go," died Wednesday. He was 80.

[Big Al]

Awwww, MAAAN!!!! That one hurts!

[chris olivarez]

He was a great blues pianist and my favorite living blues piano player.That chair for now is vacant.

[Robert J]

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Johnnie Johnson, a rock 'n' roll pioneer who teamed with Chuck Berry for hits like "Roll Over Beethoven" and "No Particular Place to Go," died Wednesday. He was 80.

Johnson, a native of Fairmont, W.Va., died at his St. Louis home. The cause of death was not immediately known, said publicist Margo Lewis. He had been hospitalized a month ago with pneumonia and was on dialysis for a kidney ailment, said John May, a friend and fellow musician.

Johnson performed as recently as two weeks ago and was planning to teach a music class in the coming weeks in Fairmont, May said.

"He left the indelible imprint of his sound," May said. "He was able to transition through any musical style because he just loved to play music."

Johnson has been called the "founding father of rock 'n' roll," though he was never a household name, known mostly as Berry's piano player and collaborator. Still, he was inducted into Cleveland's Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 in the "sidemen" category.

Johnson was given an honorary doctorate in music degree from Fairmont State College, now Fairmont State University, in 2002.

Johnson began playing piano at 4. He moved from West Virginia to Chicago after World War II, where he played jazz and blues in clubs. He moved to St. Louis in the early 1950s, forming his own R&B band, the Johnnie Johnson Trio.

When a band member became ill on New Year's Eve 1952, Johnson hired Berry to fill in. The two began a long collaboration on songs that defined early rock 'n' roll -- "Sweet Little Sixteen," "No Particular Place to Go," "Roll Over Beethoven." Johnson often composed the music on piano, then Berry converted it to guitar and wrote the lyrics.

Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" was a tribute to Johnson.

Berry was on a plane returning from a visit to Europe on Wednesday and unavailable for comment, a spokeswoman said.

Several top musicians credited Johnson's influence on their careers, and over the years he recorded and performed with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley, among others. The 1987 rock documentary "Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll" was in part a tribute to Berry and Johnson.

Johnson and Berry parted ways in the early 1970s, and in 2000, Johnson sued Berry, seeking a share of royalties and proper credit for what Johnson said were more than 50 songs the men composed together. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2002, ruling that too many years had passed since the disputed songs were written.

The lawsuit contended that Berry took advantage of Johnson's alcoholism, misleading him into believing that only Berry was entitled to own the copyrights "and reap the monetary benefits."

Johnson is survived by his wife and children.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

[BruceH]

Johnson certainly was a bigger part of Berry's sound than some people realize. RIP

[paul secor]

Thank you for some great piano playing, Mr. Johnson.

Daniel Jacoubovitch, who ran Modern Blues Recordings, produced a St Louis piano album , 'Rockin' Eighty Eights', with four cuts each by Johnny Johnson, Clayton Love, and Jimmy Vaughn, which is worth seeking out. The Johnny Johnson cuts are pure blues/r&b, without special guest rockstar friends.

[Jazzmoose]

Gotta admit, carrying a piano in a Cadillac makes a better line than carrying a guitar in a gunny sack...

[Big Al]

Some years back, the group Kentucky Headhunters did an album with Johnnie caled That'll Work that featured JJ on vocals for the title track. It's a rollicking fun disc that is worth picking up, if you can find it!

[j lee]

Daniel Jacoubovitch, who ran Modern Blues Recordings, produced a St Louis piano album , 'Rockin' Eighty Eights', with four cuts each by Johnny Johnson, Clayton Love, and Jimmy Vaughn, which is worth seeking out. The Johnny Johnson cuts are pure blues/r&b, without special guest rockstar friends.

That's a nice record, I'll agree. The Homespun instructional DVD featuring Johnson is worth seeking out for hard-core fans -- mostly small group performances with the occasional break-down of Johnson's playing by the man himself.