Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum hosts exclusive live closed-circuit broadcast of the 16th annual induction ceremony
www.rockhall.com
February 19 / 2001
By the press stab
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will host a party on Monday, March 19, 2001 at the Museum from 7:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. at which the 16th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live. The 2001 Induction Ceremony will be shown in its entirety via closed-circuit broadcast from New York.
This one-time-only showing will be seen on several large screens throughout the Museum. All exhibits will be open to tour during the party. Tickets include a raffle and cash bar. An edited version of the 2001 Induction Ceremony will air on VH1 on Wednesday, March 21st.
"We are thrilled to once again offer this outstanding opportunity to the fans of Cleveland", said Terry Stewart, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "The party was a great success last year, and we expect the response to be just as exciting".
Tickets go on sale to Museum members on Monday, February 26th and are $10. Members can call the membership line at 888.588.ROCK ext. 3 to purchase tickets. Tickets for non-members go on sale Monday, March 5th and are $15. These tickets are available through Ticketmaster at 216.241.5555 or the Museum box office.
The 2001 "performer" inductees are Aerosmith, Solomon Burke, The Flamingos, Michael Jackson, Queen, Paul Simon, Steely Dan and Ritchie Valens. The "non-performer" inductee is Chris Blackwell. The "side-men" inductees are James Burton and Johnnie Johnson.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is the worlds only museum dedicated to preserving the living legacy of rock and roll.
Johnnie Johnson to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
St.Louis Post-Dispatch
Mars 6 / 2001
The Immortals are moving over to make room for pianist Johnnie "B. Goode" Johnson, 76. Come March 19, Johnson will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He is remembered for such hits as "Roll Over Beethoven" with St. Louisan Chuck Berry. Indeed, Berry wrote the hit song "Johnny B. Goode" as a tribute to Johnson, who grew up in Fairmont, W.Va., and later moved to St. Louis. Berry was a fledgling guitarist in 1952 when Johnson hired him to sub for a sick saxophonist in his St. Louis band, The Johnnie Johnson Trio. Berry stayed on - and the rest, as they say, is legend.
Be a Mensch, Chuck Berry: Rock legend should join in tribute to his old partner Johnnie Johnson
Daily News
March 11 / 2001
David Hinckley
When Johnnie Johnson is inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame at the Waldorf-Astoria on March 19, it's
a good bet Chuck Berry won't give the induction speech
even though it was their joint work on many of rock
'n' roll's defining songs that finally brought Johnson
this overdue recognition.
For one thing, Chuck isn't a big partygoer. He was the
first artist inducted at the first Rock Hall ceremony
in 1986 and he hasn't shown up since.
This year he may be further disinclined because
Johnson is suing him for millions of dollars money
the suit says Berry owes Johnson for co-composing
"Rock and Roll Music," "Memphis," "Sweet Little
Sixteen," "Roll Over Beethoven" and several dozen
other songs. While the songs made many folks rich,
including Berry, Johnson in most cases got only a
session fee, maybe $100.
The problem, says the suit, is that Berry understood
copyright and Johnson did not partly because he was
a country boy and partly because for 50 years he was a
drunk. In a sense, this suit is legalese for Marlon
Brando saying to Rod Steiger, "Ya shoulda taken care
of me."
Unsurprisingly, Berry says he does not owe Johnson a
penny. So someone else will induct Johnson. Maybe it
will be Keith Richards, and that's fine, because Keith
adores Johnson and for 15 years has helped him put a
decent career back together.
But when we like two people's work as much as we like
Berry's and Johnson's, we also want them to like each
other.
It shouldn't matter if Simon doesn't hang with
Garfunkel, or the members of TLC take separate limos.
But somehow it does. For all the snide cracks John
Lennon made about Paul McCartney before his death, we
badly want to believe Paul's insistence the two had
patched it up. We want to believe this almost as much
as Paul does.
Berry and Johnson met in late December 1952, when the
pianist Johnson invited Berry to join his instrumental
blues trio at a St. Louis club. Berry added vocals and
showmanship and they have remarkably close memories of
how they worked together. Berry: "Johnnie and I became
so tight in feeling each other's direction that
whenever I played a riff, he would answer it with the
same melodic pattern and vice versa."
Johnson: "When we got comfortable with each other,
Chuck would start out with a solo and fall right into
the rhythm and then it was just blendin' and playin'
off each other."
The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, wearing what appeared to be
keychains in his hair, inducted Johnnie Johnson, piano player for Chuck Berry, into the hall in the "sidemen" category. Elvis Presley guitarist James Burton also was given that honor. Richards said he identified with sidemen, who have to "watch this bum with a hairdo" to make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself. The irascible Berry was absent from the ceremony honoring his 28-year musical partner, which was no surprise, considering Johnson recently filed suit against him seeking millions of dollars in past royalties for songs he says he co-wrote.
But Berry sings another tune about their recordings,
which started in 1955. Like all writers, he says, he
had many influences but he wrote the songs alone.
Johnson disagrees. "If he came up with a little tune,"
he said in "Father of Rock & Roll," his 1999
biography, "I'd help him put it together. Sometimes
he'd call me up to his room and play somethin'. ...
I'd say, 'That don't fit,' or 'Try putting this here,'
and he usually listened."
"Wee Wee Hours," says Johnson, was a tune he had been
playing for years, and Berry just added words. "But
songs like 'Roll Over Beethoven,' those were things we
did together from the start. The words were all his,
but can't one of us say we did the music all by
ourself. We did that music together."
Johnson has said this for years, just never seemed to
think about suing over it. Asked in 1991 if it
bothered him to be so uncredited, he shrugged. "That's
how it was in those days," he said. "We didn't think
about credits. We were just playing music."
Asked in 1999 if he saw much of Berry, he said, "We
talk. We played a gig last month at Blueberry Hill,"
Berry's home club in St. Louis. "If I'm around, he'll
call and I'll come down."
Richards calls the relationship between Berry and
Johnson "strange," suggesting Berry knows Johnson's
value and appreciates their history, but after a life
dotted with jail time, lawsuits and controversy,
guards his own interests obsessively.
Others go a step further to call Berry bitter and cold
though in an interview he can be smart, funny and
charming, which makes him at least complex.
Concerning the songs, some of the truth has doubtless
evaporated into the mists of time, and there's no
guarantee Johnson will get to court to argue about the
rest of it. Both men are in their 70s, with a lot of
mileage on their tires.
What we do know is that Chuck Berry, for all his
battles, has also been honored and rewarded for his
work. Now Johnnie Johnson, an important element of
that work and a solid musician by himself, is getting
some recognition of his own.
It won't diminish the moment for Johnson if Berry
isn't next to him to play "Johnny B. Goode." It would
just enhance the moment if he were.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts Johnnie Johnson
AP
March 20 / 2001
By Nekesa Mumbi Moody
Aerosmith may have sold millions of records and played in
front of thousands of people, but the band was far from jaded after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their three decade-long career.
"It's totally overwhelming, because when you see all these people up there that you cut your teeth on, and listened to and heard, to think that you've got a room next to Elvis Presley now, is like, wow!" Aerosmith's lead singer Steven Tyler said as he held his induction trophy backstage.
Aerosmith joined Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, Queen and Steely Dan in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday. Also inducted were the doo-wop group The Flamingos, "La Bamba" singer Ritchie Valens, soul singer Solomon Burke, sidemen Johnnie Johnson and James Burton, and Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records.
For Jackson and Simon, it was their second trip to the hall both were previously inducted for their legendary beginnings with The Jackson Five and Simon and Garfunkel. Simon said the past honor did not lessen the night's achievement. "One recognizes a certain part of my work, and this recognizes the
period that followed it. They're both equally gratifying," he said. Onstage, Simon was effusive in his thanks: He delivered a rambling acceptance speech that ran 10 minutes long. Among those who got thanks were Quincy Jones and his bandleader father. But he got his biggest reaction when he mentioned his former artner,
Art Garfunkel. Simon said, "I regret the ending of our friendship, and I hope that one day before I die we will make peace with each other." After the audience applauded warmly, Simon deadpanned, "No rush."
Jackson, who broke his foot recently at his ranch, hobbled on stage after a tribute by boy band 'N Sync. "As you can see, there's not going to be any moonwalking tonight," said Jackson.
In a typically short speech, Jackson thanked Motown founder Berry Gordy and Diana Ross, whom he called his "second mother." He also paid tribute to his parents for blessing him with his talent. "To me, the gift of music has been a great blessing, from the time I was a child," Jackson said.
Aerosmith, called "the greatest rock band in American history," by Detroit rap rocker Kid Rock, thanked their families for supporting a career that included stardom, a steep fall and surprising resurrection. The band's new album debuted this week at No. 2 on the Billboard charts and they have a top 20 hit with "Jaded," but they were honored for work that included the
prototype rock ballad, "Dream On." Tyler made a wry reference to the unflattering early comparison of Aerosmith to the Rolling Stones and his own resemblance to the band's singer. "I wonder if this will put an end to, 'Hey, aren't you Mick Jagger?'" he
said.
Queen, whose lead singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in 1991,
performed "We Will Rock You" as a trio and invited Foo Fighter Dave Grohl to sing an incendiary version of "Tie Your Mother Down." Mercury's mother, Jer Bulsara, accepted her late son's trophy.
Steely Dan was inducted by the techno-artist Moby, who said, "They always seemed different somehow. On the one hand, their music is warm and beautiful, but on the other hand it is so unsettling." The group, which consists of the reclusive duo of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, won three Grammys last month, including album of the year for "Two Against Nature."
Ricky Martin inducted Valens, the most prominent Latin rocker of rock's early days, who died in a 1959 plane crash. The Flamingos were best-known for their lush, romantic ballad "I Only Have
Eyes for You." The adult children of several members who have since died joined other Flamingo members onstage to accept their trophy. Blackwell, given a tribute by U2 lead singer Bono, was inducted in the non-performing category.
The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, wearing what appeared to be
keychains in his hair, inducted Johnnie Johnson, piano player for Chuck Berry, into the hall in the "sidemen" category. Elvis Presley guitarist James Burton also was given that honor. Richards said he identified with sidemen, who have to "watch this bum with a hairdo" to make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself. The irascible Berry was absent from the ceremony honoring his 28-year musical partner, which was no surprise, considering Johnson recently filed suit against him seeking millions of dollars in past royalties for songs he says he co-wrote.
The night ended with its traditional jam session. The highlight
featured Kid Rock and Burke delivering a rousing rendition of Burke's hit, "Everybody Needs Someone To Love." Toward the end, Burke gave members of the audience a chance to live out their ultimate rock fantasy, pulling several onstage to sing with Aerosmith, Richards, Johnson and Queen's Brian May, even
allowing one woman to belt out a few lyrics before the evening came to an end. The ceremony, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, was being taped for telecast Wednesday on VH1. The names of honorees are on exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.
The Pageant's Oliver Sain Tribute
www.stltoday.com
March 28 / 2001
By Terry Perkins / special to the Post-Dispatch
A tribute Saturday night to Oliver Sain clearly reflected both the unassuming, humble personality of Sain and the strong influence he's had on musicians and music fans alike.
"50 Years of Music: A Tribute to Oliver Sain" was held at The (Pageant) and was put together by the many friends of the saxophone player, who has been the unofficial godfather of the St. Louis blues and R&B scene for several decades.
Sain received plaques and decrees from Mayor Clarence Harmon, Alderman Francis Slay and others during the evening, and he heard speeches extolling his contributions.
But the Mississippi-born musician, who has made his home here since 1959, didn't make a big deal about the honors. He accepted them with pride, but seemed more thankful that The Pageant was filled with enthusiastic music fans, who had made the effort to come out on a cold, snowy night.
The musical talent on display offered many incentives to brave the weather. Talented local musicians such as vocalists Marsha Evans, Renee Smith and Uvee Hayes performed, as did East St. Louis guitarist-vocalist David Dee and legendary pianist Johnnie Johnson (recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a sideman). Ike Turner, Tyrone Davis and Little Milton Campbell - nationally known musicians with strong ties to Sain and St. Louis - rounded out the bill.
The three-plus hours of entertainment included many highlights. Most performers - aside from Davis and Little Milton - were limited to three-song sets, reminiscent of the touring soul revues of the 1950s and '60s, when a long list of performers shared the stage. But the musicians crammed plenty of excitement into the abbreviated sets.
Dee's up-tempo version of his hit "Goin' Fishin'" featured some stinging guitar licks. Smith's powerhouse vocals on "Let the Good Times Roll" kicked the energy level up at least a couple of notches, and Hayes' version of "Hound Dog" found some interesting middle ground between the seminal version by Big Mama Thornton and the rendition by Elvis Presley.
Johnson, who reappeared later in the evening with Little Milton, led his own set and was in fine form at the keyboards. He's made his version of "Kansas City" a highlight of his performances in recent years, and it proved to be a winner with the crowd Saturday.
Turner, looking as fit as he did several decades ago when he led one of the top bands in the St. Louis area, shone on both keyboards and guitar. When the mood strikes, Turner can still play guitar with anyone, and he was clearly in the mood Saturday. He ripped through a fast-paced instrumental, appropriating picking styles from Link Wray to Jimi Hendrix along the way. He made it all seem natural, unforced and energizing.
Naturally, the ever-humble Sain limited himself to three songs during his set, but he made them all count. He started on tenor sax, then moved to Hammond organ, underscoring his professionalism on both instruments with solo turns that were tasty, solid and to the point.
Davis, best known for bluesy, slinky hits such as "Turn Back the Hands of Time" and "Give it Up (Turn It Loose)," included those hits in a longer set that set up Little Milton Campbell's show-closing performance.
Both Johnson and Sain came out to join Campbell for the final set, and despite the late hour and the increasingly bitter weather, a large percentage of the crowd stayed until the final notes were played.
Certainly the fact that Sain has had a recurrence of cancer recently prompted many in the crowd to come to pay tribute to Sain's musical contributions to our area and celebrate his positive influence. And given the untimely death Saturday morning of another longtime legend on the local music scene, guitarist Tommy Bankhead, it was especially timely to see a musician honored while he's still around to appreciate it.
Bankhead will be given a musical tribute at the Randle Funeral Home next Saturday.
Ratdog and Bob Weir kick off tour with sellout
www.stltoday.com
March 28 / 2001
By Terry Perkins / special to the Post-Dispatch
Break out the tie-dye bandanas, the T-shirts with assorted cryptic lyrics from Grateful Dead tunes and the dancing bear baseball caps. And get ready for those after-concert veggie burritos being hawked in the parking lot.
Ex-Dead guitarist Bob Weir is back on the road with his band Ratdog, and there are enough classic Dead tunes and open-ended jams included in the set list to make any self-respecting Deadhead itchy enough to fire up the van and map out an itinerary in pursuit of Ratdog concerts across America.
Ratdog officially kicked off its new tour with an appearance Tuesday night at Mississippi Nights, and the sold-out concert was clearly the social event of the spring season for area Dead fans.
Ever since the Grateful Dead officially broke up in 1995 after the death of Jerry Garcia, fans of the band have made do with assorted conglomerationsof various band members.
The Other Ones attempted to keep the sound of the Dead alive at Furthur Festival events. And an assortment of spinoff bands led by the likes of Weir, Phil Lesh and Micket Hartman have also toured - with varying appeal to Deadhead true believers.
Weir has always been one of the most prolific Dead musicians in terms ofside projects - starting with his solo album "Ace," released almost three decades ago. Since then, he has explored a wide range of musical styles, from the jazz fusion-tinged Bobby & the Midnites to acoustic duets with bassist Rob Wasserman.
The current Ratdog lineup, featuring Wasserman, guitarist Mark Karan, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, drummer Jay Lane and tenor sax player Kenny Brooks, just may be the band's most versatile lineup yet.
Even though local music fans might miss the bluesy, R&B-flavored keyboard contributions of former member Johnnie Johnson, the new lineup definitely covers more musical styles. (Although Weir did honor Johnson by dedicating the final encore, "Johnnie B. Goode," to him.)
Probably more importantly for Deadheads, the current lineup is definitely in the freewheeling, jam band tradition of the Grateful Dead. Weir didn't shy away from any Dead references, opening up the first set with a version of "Feel Like a Stranger," which originally appeared on the Dead's "Go to Heaven" album. Later in the set, he turned in a fine version of "Black Throated Wind" from his "Ace" album, and even included a Dead concert standby, "El Paso," the Marty Robbins country classic.
Later, there were plenty of extended jams, including a fine version of "The Other One" that featured some spectacular bass work by Wasserman, as well as a workout on "Odessa" from Ratdog's latest recording, "Evening Moods."
Other highlights included a fine take on "Mission in the Rain," an extended version of "Terrapin Station" and the classic "Sugar Magnolia."
It was a fine opening evening for Weir and Ratdog's new tour. Maybe next time through town they'll play a venue that can accommodate a larger crowd than the one that packed Mississippi Nights to absolute maximum capacity.
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