Before you learn more about Johnnie Johnson, please consider our October 16 fundraiser at the Hi-Pointe Theater. The biggest night in St. Louis music history is getting a 40th-anniversary celebration with a purpose. Filmmaker and retired tv newsman Art Holliday is hosting a funding campaign kickoff for Johnnie Be Good, a two-decade passion project detailing the incredible life and comeback of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame pianist Johnnie Johnson. It will fund the final mile of a 22-year film journey, the final edits and legal review to finish the 95-minute rough cut of Johnnie Be Good. Here’s the trailer.
Holliday is partnering with Cinema St. Louis for Hail! Hail! Johnnie Johnson: The Final Mile, a fundraising event for his documentary on October 16 at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. There will be a screening of Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll directed by Taylor Hackford, and examined through the lens of what it did for Johnson’s career. The date marks exactly 40 years since the legendary October 16, 1986 concerts at The Fox Theater, filmed for the documentary Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll. The celebration of Berry also served as the ultimate turning point for Johnson, igniting a late-in-life rediscovery that rescued a bus driver from music obscurity. After Hackford’s film, Johnson got a Grammy nomination at 67 years old, had high profile gigs with The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, and Aerosmith.
Tickets for the October 16 event at the Hi-Pointe Theater are $40 and we also have a limited number of VIP tickets available for $100 that include a private reception before the film, reserved seating for the film, and the opportunity to meet LA musician and Johnnie Johnson protege Doña Oxford who will be performing a song from Johnnie Be Good immediately following the film screening.. There will also be a Q&A with Steve Litman who coordinated between the Fox Theater, the film crew, and band 40 years ago. He’ll likely talk about the legendary rehearsal drama between Chuck Berry and Keith Richards.
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.
What Your Funds Will Cover Immediately
- 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.
LOGLINE
An unsung child prodigy and WWII military pioneer co-creates the blueprint of rock and roll, only to end up driving a bus until a legendary film director and a Rolling Stone icon rewrite his history.
JOHNNIE BE GOOD AT A GLANCE
Runtime: 95 minute rough cut
Status: Finishing funds, final edits, fair use assessment, licensing
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.
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.
THE BIG BANG OF 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.
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
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.
SUPERSTAR CAST SUPPORTS JOHNNIE’S STORY
This documentary features exclusive insights from a who’s who of music and filmmaking royalty:
Co-Narrators: Michael McDonald and John Goodman
Three Rolling Stones: Keith Richards, Chuck Leavell, Steve Jordan
The Icons: Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley, Bob Weir,
The Legends: Eddie Money, Malcolm McDowell, Paul Shaffer, Taylor Hackford, Bruce Hornsby, Joe Perry, John Sebastian
UNSUNG HEROES DOCUMENTARIES
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.
Film Credits
Featured Interviews
Johnnie Johnson
Frances Johnson
Keith Richards
Eric Clapton
Paul McCartney
Bonnie Raitt
Bob Weir
Bo Diddley
Joe Perry
Dann Glenn
Ernie Isley
Ian McLagan
Taylor Hackford
Michael McDonald
David Sanborn
Paul Shaffer
Mike Merritt
James Wormworth
Chuck Leavell
Jimmy Vivino
Steve Jordan
Pat St. John
John Sebastian
Buddy Guy
Al Kooper
Bruce Hornsby
Lou Gossett Jr,
Malcolm McDowell
Daryl Davis
Dona Oxford
Eddie Money
James Young
Jay Lane
Jeff Chimenti
Richard Young
Director/Producer/Writer
Art Holliday
Executive Producer
Richard Chapman
Editor
Tony Chambers
Associate Producer
Harold Walker
Diane Asyre
Amy Chase
Videography
Art Holliday
Jon King
Tony Chambers
Denzil McHenry
Greg Murphy
Audio
Bob Gleason
Still Photography
Art Holliday
Bill Greensmith
Suzy Gorman
Through A Lens Photography
Susana Millman
Mark Gilliland
Madeline Dames
Peter Newcomb
Diana Trombino Mestman
Graphics
Kristin Schneider
Graphics Animation
Frank Unger
Social Media & Publicist
Marla Stoker
Special Thanks
Joe Edwards
Pat Hagin
Twist Marketing
Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants (VLAA)
Integrity Web Consulting
Steinway Piano provided by Steinway Gallery
Film grants provided by:
