THE JOHNNIE JOHNSON JAM         

Honoring the man who put the

"ROLL"

in Rock n' Roll...

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU WEST VIRGINIA IS THE BIRTH PLACE OF ROCK IN ROLL?  NO REALLY?

THE MAN BEHIND THE “ROLL” ”N ROCK IN ROLL WAS BORN IN FAIRMONT WV ON JULY 8TH 1924.  JOHNNIE JOHNSON WAS CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST BOOGIE WOOGIE  PIANIST OF HIS ERA WITH A MASTERY OF BOTH MELODIC LEAD USING HIS RIGHT HAND AND RHYTHMIC BASS USING HIS LEFT HAND.

HE LATER GAVE, FUTURE ROCK N’ ROLL HALL OF FAMER, AND GUITARIST CHUCK BERRY, HIS BREAK WHEN HE ASKED CHUCK TO JOIN THE JOHNNIE JOHNSON TRIO.  CHUCK’S PERCUSSIVE AND RHYTHMIC GUITAR PLAYING STYLE ADDED THE “ROCK” TO JOHNNIE JOHNSON’S  SWINGIN’ “ROLL” AND WAS AMERICAN MUSIC HISTORY WAS MADE.

JOHNSON'S VIRTUOSTIC PLAYING STYLE  LATER INSPIRED THE SONG JOHNNIE B. GOODE THAT MADE MILLIONS OF AMERICAN TEENY BOPPERS WENT WILD AND HE WAS ALSO A COLLABORATOR WITH CHUCK BERRY ON SONGS LIKE MAYBELLINE,  ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN AND MANY OTHER HITS. BEYOND HIS WORK WITH BERRY, JOHNSONN WENT ON TO WORK WITH LITTLE WALTER, ALBERT KING AMONG OTHER NOTABLE BLUES ACTS, HOWEVER HIS CONTRIBUTIONS WERE UNCREDITED AT THE TIME. 

​

​

IN THE 1980'S ARTIST LIKE KEITH RICHARDS OF THE ROLLING STONES, ERIC CLAPTON, AND BOB WEIR OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD, LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN TO RECOGNIZE HOW MUCH JOHNIE JOHNSON’S MUSIC INFLUENCED THEIR CAREERS AND HOW HIS BOOGIE WOOGIE PIANO PLAYING STYLE WENT ON TO BE THE CREATIVE INSPIRATION FOR THE EARLY MUSIC OF THE BRITISH INVASION WHICH LED TO HIS INDUCTION INTO THE ROCK N' ROLL HALL OF FAME AS A SIDEMAN.

​

JOHNNIE JOHNSON PASSED AWAY IN 2005 BUT THE LEGACY OF THE COUNTRY BLUES PIANIST FROM FAIRMONT WEST VIRGINIA AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO ROCK N ROLL HISTORY WERE ON FULL DISPLAY AT THE JOHNNIE JOHNSON JAM AS WE PAID TRIBUTE TO THE ORIGINAL “JOHNNY B. GOODE.” REMNANTS OF HIS ROLLING PIANO PLAYING STYLE CAN STILL BE FOUND IN MANY CONTEMPORARY MUSIC GENRES TUCKED WITHIN SAMPLES, AND LICKS AND RIFFS IN EVERYTHING FROM JAZZ TO COUNTRY, FROM HIP HOP TO THE BLUES. 

AND WHILE HIS MUSIC CAREER LANDED HIM IN THE ROCK N’ ROLL HALL OF FAME,  JOHNNIE JOHNSON’S MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO AMERICAN CULTURE MAY JUST BE IN BREAKING RACIAL BARRIERS IN THE MILITARY AS A MONTFORD POINT MARINE, WHERE HE ENDURED RACISM AND INSPIRED SOCIAL CHANGE WHILE INTEGRATING THE PREVIOUSLY ALL-WHITE MARINE CORPS DURING WORLD WAR II AND HE POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

JOHNNIE JOHNSON’S STORY MORE THAN JUST “GOOD” AND IT IS ONE WE CAN’T LET FADE TO HISTORY..

​

SO LET'S KEEP THE ROCK ROLLIN' FOR JOHNNIE JOHNSON

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​