Obituary: JOHNNIE JOHNSON; Pianist to Chuck Berry who was the inspiration for 'Johnny B. Goode'.(Obituaries)

From: The Independent (London, England) | Date: April 15, 2005| Author: Leigh, Spencer | Copyright information

Byline: Spencer Leigh

Chuck Berry's records from the 1950s form the foundation of rock'n'roll music, and much of his sound is attributable to the piano playing of Johnnie Johnson. His piano is not always to the fore, as in 'Roll Over Beethoven' (1956), but it would certainly be missed if it wasn't there and Berry's records would sound quite different without him. Berry acknowledged that Johnson was the inspiration for his 'Johnny B. Goode' (1957), although Lafayette Lea...

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