CBID - addition to the Johnnie Johnson discography

CBID is never complete as new records and CDs appear and some old rarities are discovered. This section presents interesting additions and corrections to CBID.

Today: Chapter 18 in Volume 2 has a complete discography, full session information and everything else of interest about Johnnie Johnson, Berry's great pianist. Here's an addition to the Johnnie Johnson discography:

SESSION WORK and GUEST APPEARANCES

Kentucky Headhunters With Johnnie Johnson (USA)
MEET ME IN BLUESLAND
CD: Alligator Records ALCD-4965 • USA, 2015

Stumblin’ / Walking With The Wolf / Little Queenie / She’s Got To Have It ◊ / Party In Heaven / Meet Me In Bluesland / King Rooster / Shufflin’ Back To Memphis / Fast Train / Sometime / Superman Blues

11 tracks, recorded 26-28 January 2003 at Barrick Recording Studio, Glasgow, Kentucky. Johnnie plays piano on all tracks and does vocals on one song marked ◊. Two of the songs have typical Berry guitar and beat, “Stumblin’, a very goode one, and “Party In Heaven”. For some strange reason this album was never released when Johnnie was alive. They say that the session was actually a spontaneous one and therefore no immediate plans to release an album. Luckily it became a reality in 2015. Three more songs were later featured on an album by the Kentucky Headhunters in 2019 (see below). See also cover versions for extra comments on “Little Queenie”.
This album should be in every Berry fan’s collection. It has drive and the piano of Johnnie is spot on. Play It Johnnie…!

Kentucky Headhunters (USA)
LIVE AT THE RAMBLIN’ MAN FAIR
CD: Alligator Records ALCD-4988 • USA, 2019

Rock Me Baby / Rock-N-Roller / Hi-Heel Sneakers

Johnnie does not play on other tracks. The three tracks were recorded 26-28 January 2003 (see “Meet Me In Bluesland” above). Johnnie really shines on “Rock-N-Roller”. The other 10 tracks on the album were recorded live in 2016 at the Ramblin’ Man Fair in Maidstone, UK (it was part of an European tour). They even do a couple of Johnnie Johnson co-written songs, “Shufflin’ Back To Memphis” and “Walking With The Wolf”. They also do “Stumblin’ “. However, the band sounds different on stage, much more rock and heavier and therefore I feel they lose a lot of their integrity and individual style.