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Johnny Johnson >Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Piano Player > >By JIM SALTER/The Associated Press > >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. > >``He left the indelible imprint of his sound,'' May said. ``He was able to >transition through any musical style because he just loved to play music.'' > >Berry was on a plane returning from a visit to Europe on Wednesday and >unavailable for comment, a spokeswoman said. > >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. > >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 and children. >
