Johnnie Johnson
July 8, 1924 – April 13, 2005
Johnnie Johnson was a jazz and blues pianist who joined forces with Chuck Berry with whom he spent over twenty years collaborating on such rock ‘n’ roll classics as “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Nadine,” even though he never received song-writing credits or royalties. It has been reported that “Johnnie B. Goode” was actually inspired by Johnson. After his run with Berry, Johnson was all but retired from music and working as a bus driver in St. Louis until he heard the praise being given him by the likes of Keith Richards. That motivated him to get back into music and record his first album in 1987 which lead to him sharing the stage with such luminaries as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, and John Lee Hooker, and later hitting the road as part of Bob Weir’s Ratdog. In 1999, writer Travis Fitzpatrick released a biography of Johnson entitled Father of Rock and Roll: The Story of Johnnie B. Goode Johnson. It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. In 2001, Johnson received his well-deserved place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 81.
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