Johnnie
Johnson: A Brief Biography
Johnnie
Johnson, The Father of Rock 'N Roll
Born July
8, 1924 in Fairmont, WV. Died April
13, 2005 in St. Louis, MO.
Johnnie Johnson was
one of the unsung heroes of rock and
roll. He was considered by many to
be "the world's greatest blues
pianist" and "the founding
father of rock and roll." Johnnie
was born July 8, 1924 on Diamond Street
in Fairmont, West Virginia. Johnnie
began playing piano in 1928 when he
was four years old. His mother had
purchased the second-hand upright
piano as a decoration. Taking to the
instrument immediately, Johnnie seemed
to possess an innate mastery of the
instrument even then. Unable to afford
lessons, Johnnie practiced and absorbed
the sounds of big band jazz and swing,
barrelhouse boogie, and country western
that he heard on local radio. His
heroes were piano players: Count Basie,
Art Tatum, Earl Hines, Pete Johnson,
and Meade Lux Lewis. Johnnie studied
each man's repertoire, mixing and
matching until he found his own unique
style. Johnnie even made his radio
debut on local radio station WMND
at the age of eight years old.
In 1943, with the
war in full tilt, Johnnie enlisted
in the Marines, becoming one of the
first 1500 black soldiers in this
branch of the service. He fought in
the Marshall Islands and later had
the opportunity to join the company
band: The Barracudas, an elite group
made up of some of the finest jazz
musicians in the world. The band was
made up of members of count Basie’s,
Lionel Hampton’s, and Glen Miller’s
bands. It was a dream come true to
play alongside his radio idols at
U.S.O. shows and by the time he had
returned home, Johnnie had decided
to make music his life.
After hearing T-Bone
Walker playing in a Detroit club,
Johnnie decided to move to Chicago
where the post-war blues scene was
at its height. Befriending and sitting
in with legends like Muddy Waters,
Memphis Slim, and Little Walter sharpened
Johnnie’s skills. He finally
settled down in St. Louis in March
of 1952. Johnnie formed a band called
“The Johnnie Johnson Trio,”
and soon landed a regular gig at one
of the biggest nightspots in town,
“The Cosmopolitan Club.”
On New Year’s
Eve of 1852, fate stepped in, as Johnnie’s
saxophonist became ill and was unable
to make the show. Desperate for a
replacement, Johnnie hired a fledgling
guitarist named Chuck Berry to fill
in for the night. Although he had
only been playing professionally for
six months, Berry had a gift for performance
and a way with words that caught the
audience’s attention. Johnnie
decided to keep him on as a singer/guitarist,
and for the next two years the Johnnie
Johnson Trio rocked the Cosmopolitan
every weekend.
In 1955 while still
performing as the Johnnie Johnson
Trio, Johnnie, Chuck Berry, and Ebby
Hardy traveled to Chicago and recorded
“Maybellene” along with
the legendary Willie Dixon on bass
for Chess Records. The record was
a hit and soon reached number five
on the charts. It was then that Berry
approached his partner about taking
over the bad. Confident of Berry’s
business acumen and yearning to simply
play, Johnnie entrusted Berry with
his band. And so it was that Johnnie
became the silent partner in the first
writing and performing team in the
history of rock and roll.
With Johnnie’s
musical prowess, and Berry’s
gift for words, they collaborated
on some of the most influential songs
in musical history; including: “Wee,
Wee Hours,” “Sweet Little
Sixteen (with which the Beach Boys
later had a hit, “Surfin’
USA), “Roll Over Beethoven,”
“School Days,” “Back
in the USA,” and “Rock
and Roll Music,” among many
others. In fact, the song that many
people believe to be the national
anthem of rock and roll, “Johnnie
Be Goode,” was written by Berry
as a tribute to his musical partner
and collaborator, Johnnie Johnson.
Johnnie would often
keep playing long after the show ended,
sitting in with jazz bands and anyone
that would have him. “I would
play anytime, anywhere, with anybody,”
he Johnnie used to say. Referring
to his disappearing acts, Berry would
look at him and say, “Why can’t
you just be good, Johnnie?”
Johnnie and Berry
performed and recorded together through
the seventies. However, as Berry’s
popularity grew, and he began to travel
to travel internationally, Johnnie
elected to sty home in St. Louis.
During this time, Johnnie also recorded
and performed with the legendary Albert
King, for whom he contributed a great
number of musical arrangements, even
performing in what many have said
was the greatest Albert King Band
ever. But through it all, Johnnie
toiled largely unrecognized by the
public.
That is until 1986,
when Rolling Stones guitarist Keith
Richards sought Johnnie out for the
documentary, “Hail! Hail! Rock
‘n’ Roll!” Richards
observed that many of berry’s
songs were written in piano keys;
Johnnie’s keys! And without
Johnnie’s melodies, the most
influential songs in rock and roll
history would be “just a lot
of words on paper.” Johnnie’s
performance in the film left no doubt
that he has no equals on the piano.
Since the release
of the film, Johnnie has begun to
receive the credit and the public
acclaim he so rightly deserves. Johnnie
has released six solo albums and contributed
his considerable talents to recordings
by Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley,
and the late greats John Lee Hooker,
and Jimmy Rogers. Johnnie has also
been inducted into the Boogie Woogie
Hall of Fame; won the prestigious
Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and
Blues Foundation, received a Congressional
Citation for Lifetime Achievement,
and in March of 2001 was inducted
into “The Rock-n-Roll Hall of
Fame.”
In July of 2001,
Johnnie was honored by his hometown
of Fairmont, West Virginia with a
Homecoming Concert, and July 8th,
Johnnie’s birthday, was proclaimed,
“Johnnie Johnson Day.”
Over 7,000 people attended this celebration.
Johnnie served as
“Artist in Residence”
at Fairmont Sate University in the
spring of 2002. In May of 2002 he
was honored at Fairmont State University
with an “Honorary Doctorate
of Music Degree” graduating
with the class of 2002.
In July 2002, he
was honored in his hometown with the
first annual “Johnnie Johnson
Blues & Jazz Festival.”
On Saturday, July 13th, 2002, he was
recognized by the State of West Virginia
with a bridge dedicated in his honor.
In 2004, Johnnie was presented the
prestigious “New School Jazz
Award” in New York City.
In the words of
Johnnie’s guitarist Tom Maloney,
“Fairmont, West Virginia is
definitely an important part of Johnnie.
Johnnie could have been born in New
York, Chicago, Houston, St. Louis,
or any other place in the world, but
we wouldn’t have Johnnie or
rock and roll music as we know it
today.” “Fairmont should
be very, very, proud of Johnnie.”
Johnnie Johnson
has definitely suffered for his art.
Yet, through it all he never lost
the gentle self-effacing demeanor
that caused everyone he met to love
him. He had no bitterness, no regrets.
Whether he was playing in front of
thousands or in a small club, Johnnie
played for the sake of playing. Volumes
have been written about Johnnie’s
influence and many more will be. Every
time that a musician picks up an instrument,
Johnnie’s influence is there,
whether on stage in front of thousands,
in a small club, or under the Christmas
tree on Christmas morning. Whenever
the shuffle and boogie woogie rhythms
start, that’s Johnnie’s
left hand saying come on let’s
rock the house. |
