It’s been awhile since I’ve updated the progress of JOHNNIE BE GOOD. That’s because there wasn’t much good news to report and I needed to get my mojo back. I even got a couple of emails asking if the project had been cancelled. JBG hit a rough stretch of road, full of potholes and speed bumps, untimely deaths, and investors who changed their minds. But that’s in the rearview mirror now and I’m back to work, ready to finish what i started.

Some of you will recall the film’s executive producer George Hickenlooper died in 2010, and the project editor Jon King died in 2012. Without going into all of the specifics, there was quite a ripple effect that brought the project to a halt, and resulted in attorney fees. Trust me when I say there is a LOT more to the story, and maybe someday I’ll talk about what happened. As you might imagine, it took time to recharge my batteries and for my enthusiasm for the project to return. I had to remind myself how far the project had come since 2003 when I met Johnnie and Frances Johnson for the first time. Eleven members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stopped what they were doing long enough to talk about Johnnie Johnson and lend their names to the film: Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Weir, Bo Diddley, Joe Perry, Dr. John, Ian McLagan, Ernie Isley, Buddy Guy, John Sebastian. Every time I write this list, I get excited all over again and that’s part of what needed to happen.The editing costs are now real costs instead of sweat equity, so I’m back in fundraising mode. Soon I’ll be announcing an online crowdsourcing campaign and I hope I can count on you to spread the word when the time comes. When I raise the money, the film gets made. i’m back to work, talking to potential investors, and hopefully everyone on the email list still supports this significant Johnnie Johnson project. To those of you who’ve already supported the film, thank you again. Let’s make a movie!
– Art Holliday, Director JOHNNIE BE GOOD