Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Johnnie Johnson, Who Teamed With Chuck Berry, Dies at 80

ST. LOUIS Apr 13, 2005 — 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 was on a plane returning from a visit to Europe on Wednesday and unavailable for comment, a spokeswoman said. More>>>

   

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posted by ADMIN @ Wednesday, April 13, 2005