jjthemovie

A documentary film

Johnnie
Be Good

An unsung child prodigy co-creates the blueprint of rock and roll only to be rescued from obscurity decades later by Keith Richards and a legendary film director.

Help fund the completion of
Johnnie Be Good

Campaign runs through November 16, 2026.

We are raising the funds to finish Johnnie Be Good and it takes a crowd. Please go to the Seed & Spark website, donate, choose your incentives, and click the support button. It’s the final mile for our 22-year film project. Help Team Johnnie cross the finish line by joining our Seed & Spark funding campaign.

HOW THE FUNDS WILL BE USED

Team Johnnie isn’t just starting out we are rounding third base and headed home. The final mile. We are replacing our aging, 11-year-old editing computer to handle the heavy technical demands of the final master layout. We are not asking you to fund an abstract dream. The heavy lifting is behind us. The star-studded interviews are shot, the narrative arc is locked, and the rough assembly is complete. Your contribution directly funds the high-tech AI upscaling, the critical legal clearances, and the distribution push required to put this film onto international festival screens. The only thing keeping Johnnie Be Good from getting made is the money to make it look and sound great…and pay the attorneys.

New Computer

Technical mastering

Financing AI upscaling to restore archival footage of Johnnie and securing high-quality closed captioning.

Legal & Clearance

Securing essential Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance and finalizing the fair use assessment for archival clips, including the pivotal Paul McCartney BBC interview.

Festival & Launch Prep

Covering upfront film festival submission fees, international festival logistics, and dedicated IT/web support to launch our distribution campaign.

The Biggest Night in St. Louis Music History is Getting a Celebration With a Purpose

Johnnie Johnson’s unprecedented comeback started on October 16, 1986. Come celebrate 40 years later.

October 16 fundraiser at the Hi-Pointe Theatre

“Johnson went on to become the greatest sideman in rock & roll, at the very moment the music was being born.”

— David Fricke, Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone writer David Fricke summed up Johnson’s influence when shortly after Johnnie’s death, he wrote “Johnson went on to become the greatest sideman in rock & roll, at the very moment the music was being born.” On April 13, 2005, when Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Johnnie Johnson died in his sleep, his obituary appeared in Time Magazine, The New York Times, USA Today, and Rolling Stone; Reuters sent the story around the world. Eric Clapton, Robert Cray and Steven Tyler sent flowers to his funeral, while former Grateful Dead member Bob Weir attended in person. Johnson’s death was an international headline because he is widely considered to be one of the handful of musicians who helped create the musical stew which became rock and roll, and because he once hired an unknown guitar player named Chuck Berry.

Child Prodigy to Military Pioneer

Self-taught genius

Played complex jazz by ear on West Virginia radio by age nine without ever learning to read music.

Montford Point Marine

Enlisted in 1942, breaking racial barriers as part of the first African American cohort to integrate the U.S. Marine Corps.

National honor

Posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2016, America’s highest civilian honor.

The Big Bang of Early Rock and Roll

The Fusion: Hired an unknown Chuck Berry in 1952; Berry’s lyrics paired with Johnson’s rolling boogie-woogie piano riffs birthed a new genre. One of the big bangs of early rock and roll and St. Louis became one of the birthplaces of rock and roll.

Global Catalyst: Created the exact sound that deeply influenced the early Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Ultimate Respect: Revered by peers—John Sebastian even left his own Hall of Fame trophy on Johnnie’s mantle for a year until Johnnie was finally inducted.

It turned out to be the biggest night in St. Louis music history. In the mid-80’s a documentary directed by Taylor Hackford, Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll, jump-started Johnson’s career. He was driving a senior citizen’s bus when Keith Richards hand-picked Johnson for the all-star band that paid tribute to Chuck Berry on his 60th birthday. Thanks to Hackford and Richards, Johnnie was showcased that night and it was the beginning of one of the greatest comebacks ever: a Grammy nomination at the age of 67, high profile gigs with The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, John Lee Hooker, The Kentucky Headhunters and Styx, and his belated induction to the Rock Hall of Fame. Before that comeback, Johnnie was driving a bus! Sheryl Crow was at the. Fox 40 years ago…please do an interview with me!

THE GREAT SONGWRITING DEBATE

Was Johnnie an exceptional sideman or a songwriting collaborator ripped off because he thought songwriting required writing music on paper?

The Reality

When Johnnie described his collaboration with Chuck Berry, Keith Richards flatly stated: “That’s called songwriting, Johnnie.”

The Lawsuit

Johnson’s unsuccessful songwriting lawsuit failed because he waited too long to sue, not because of the merits of the case

The Gray Area:

The film explores this complicated legal and creative space, featuring Procol Harum’s Matthew Fisher, who won a landmark decades-late lawsuit for A Whiter Shade of Pale.

CAMPAIGN FOR THE HALL OF FAME

Rewriting the rules — because the institution only recognized frontmen, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton successfully lobbied to create an entirely new entry path.

The Sideman category — the Hall of Fame created the “Sidemen” category specifically to induct Johnnie Johnson in 2001.

PULP FICTION, JOHNNIE JOHNSON, AND QUENTIN TARANTINO

Pop Culture & The Tarantino Hook

You know Johnnie’s music, even if you don’t know his name. The ultimate example is Pulp Fiction’s iconic Jack Rabbit Slims twist contest. You hear Chuck Berry singing You Never Can Tell, but you feel Johnnie Johnson’s infectious piano hook creating the vibe of a legendary scene. This film chases the ultimate dream interview: Did Quentin Tarantino actually know who Johnnie Johnson was? Either way, that’s a great interview to start my film. Fingers crossed.

Jack Rabbit Slim’s twist contest dance scene

SUPERSTAR CAST SUPPORTS JOHNNIE’S STORY

This documentary features exclusive insights from a who’s who of music and filmmaking royalty:

Co-narrators

Three Rolling Stones

The icons

The Legends

Johnnie Be Good is Standing in the Shadows of Motown meets Twenty Feet From Stardom and The Wrecking Crew. In a popular sub-genre of music documentaries, those successful films profiled sidemen, session musicians, and background singers who made an enormous musical impact even though many fans didn’t know who they were. This film is about changing the awareness and perception of Johnnie Johnson.

Johnnie
Be Good

Help fund the completion of
Johnnie Be Good