[Dixielandjazz] Johnnie Johnson R.I.P.

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

Not everyone's OKOM but it is part of mine, and I wanted to post this not 
just out of respect for a pioneer and excellent songwriter  done wrongly and 
taken undue advantage of even by one of his own.  This is not a case of racism in 
the USA music business but of human greed over one another that all too often 
takes it's toll on the trusting and unsuspecting musician of any ilk.  Further 
evidence of what happened to many OKOM grate's and not so grate's that we all 
like to remember.

We must remember that if it were not for early Gospel, Blues and Jazz there 
simply would not have been a Rock and Roll in the first place.  Just a lesson 
in the evolution of Jazz folks.

Please read with an open mind and feel free to read between the lines on Mr. 
Berry's agreement to play a tribute concert for his OLD BUDDY, that is the 
least he could do much less should do.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins
 
OBITUARIES: Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Johnson Dies 
Posted: Thu., Apr. 14, 2005 08:50:48 AM MST 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 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.

Though he was never a household name, Johnson and Berry's long collaboration 
helped define early rock 'n' roll. Johnson often composed the music on piano, 
then Berry converted it to guitar and wrote the lyrics. In fact, Berry's 
"Johnny B. Goode" was a tribute to Johnson.

After he and Berry parted ways, Johnson performed with Keith Richards, Eric 
Clapton, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley, among others. He was inducted into the 
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 in the "sidemen" category.

"It was so much fun to play with Johnnie," Diddley said. "The world has lost 
a great man and a great musician."

Berry, 78, who returned from a European tour Wednesday, said he would perform 
a tribute concert to honor "the man with a dynamite right hand ... the 
greatest piano player I ever had" who gave the then-struggling Berry his first paid 
gig -- a $4 job -- half a century ago.

Johnson was born in Fairmont, W.Va., and began playing piano at 4. He moved 
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.

"Midway through the show, Chuck did a hillbilly country number with a bluesy 
vein, and it knocked people out," said Joe Edwards, owner of the Blueberry 
Hill nightclub just outside of St. Louis where both men often played.

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 
suit 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, 10 children and several grandchildren.------

Associated Press Writer Cheryl Wittenauer contributed to this story.