Johnnie Johnson – I’m Just Johnnie
Missouri Morning Records -2025
CD1: 12 tracks; 54 minutes
CD2: 2 interviews; 37 minutes
Johnnie Johnson was Chuck Berry’s piano player from 1952 to 1973, playing on seminal hits like “Maybellene”, “Schools Days” and “Brown Eyed Handsome Man”. Like Chuck, Johnnie’s home was in St Louis and over his later years he became very friendly with Gene Ackmann, playing with his band and also going fishing, a shared passion. On one such occasion the 80 year-old Johnnie asked Gene if he could help him make another record, so the two friends wrote some material together, recruited local musicians and a sprinkling of star guests and set about making what would be Johnnie’s final record, cut in St Louis 2003-4, just before his death in 2005. A large number of musicians became involved: Johnnie’s long-time drummer Kenny Rice is on most tracks, Richard Hunt, Andy O’Connor and Mark Kersten playing on a tune each; bass duties are divided between Gus Thornton and Dickie Steltenpohl; guitar is Tony T, Max Baker, Bob Hammett or Tom Maloney; keys are added to two tracks by Greg Trampe and Paul Willett, horns to five (Ray Vollmar and Tom O’Brien (tenor sax), Larry Smith (baritone sax), Jim Manley, Elliot Doc Simpson and Bill Sextro (trumpet), Ray McAnallen (trombone). Johnnie, of course, plays piano throughout and sings on several tracks whilst the guest list includes Bonnie Raitt on slide and backing vocals, Bruce Hornsby on piano and vocals, Johnny Rivers on guitar, John Sebastian on harp and two vocalists with interesting backgrounds: Charles Glenn was the singer of the National Anthem at the St Louis Blues hockey team and Henry Lawrence was a pro football player for the Oakland Raiders – Johnnie clearly loved his sports!
The title track makes a bight start to the album, Johnnie’s piano upfront over a vigorous shuffle with horns. Johnnie’s vocals are semi-spoken and a little low in the mix, but it’s a good track to start. The slow blues “I Get Weary” drops the horns but has organ alongside Johnnie’s superb piano, the vocal delivered by Charles Glenn. It’s guest time for the Memphis Slim warhorse “Every Day I Have The Blues”, Johnnie and Bruce Hornsby teaming up on dual piano and vocals and Bonnie Raitt delivering some of her distinctive slide work. With so much going on there might be a danger of overindulgence but that does not happen, everybody playing well and not getting in each other’s way. Johnny Rivers then brings his song “Lo Down” to the session, playing guitar but leaving the vocal to Henry Lawrence, Johnnie’s piano work again excellent and the bari sax adding to the track’s low down feel.
Another very familiar tune, Louis Jordan’s “Let The Good Times Roll” is sung by drummer Kenny who does a fine job. The horns are back for this one which probably leans on BB King’s version, Bonnie’s slide replacing BB’s trills. We then return to the small combo format with Johnnie back on vocals for “Three Handed Woman”, another tune associated with Louis Jordan, a relaxed performance with good interchange between Johnnie’s piano and Tony T’s guitar, before the horns return to provide a boost to a tale of successful gambling, “Broke The Bank”, John Sebastian adding harp. Rolling piano sets the tone for another relaxed tune, the instrumental “Blues In G” being a quartet performance, with Tom Maloney on guitar. “Stagger Lee” is a full band piece with Henry Lawrence again on vocals and the horns and Kenny Rice’s dramatic and impressive drumming giving the tune a real drive, complete with a fine tenor solo from Ray Vollmar that in turn inspires Johnnie in his solo. – a real winner of a cover!
Johnny Rivers provides a second original, “Johnnie Johnson Blues”, Johnnie himself delivering a world-weary vocal, the slightly longer length giving him ample time to build an impressive solo. “Heebie Jeebies” is a familiar title, but is one of the originals written by Johnnie and Gene, here with help from Dickie Steltenpohl; it’s another full band number with horns, this time with a mambo beat and Charles Glenn on the vocals. The album closes with another quartet instrumental, Sonny Thompson’s 1948 success “Long Gone”, a nice, relaxed way to close proceedings.
CD2 contains one of the last interviews Johnnie did before his death, with radio DJ Pat St John, chatting with Johnnie at his piano in the studio about his life and career; interesting to learn about his career outside of Rn’R as he talks about playing with as diverse a range as George Thorogood, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Tony Bennett and Bob Hope. Bonnie Raitt and Gene Ackmann then join the conversation in a second part of the interview. The music and interviews are well presented with full listings of personnel song by song in a triple gatefold pack. Quite why these recordings are only seeing the light of day now, twenty years after Johnnie’s death, is unclear, but it is certainly not due to a lack of quality in the playing which is excellent throughout. While Johnnie’s vocals are not as strong as his piano work, there is plenty to enjoy here.
