Conan's Band Set for 'Johnnie Be Good' Fundraiser, 9/19

 Filmmaker Art Holliday's music documentary JOHNNIE BE GOOD will be going after finishing funds in a style that would make St. Louis native and Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer Johnnie Johnson proud.  "Johnnie's Jam: A Tribute to Johnnie Johnson," a fundraising concert, will be held September 19th" at The Sheldon.  For a limited time, this Thursday 9/9 - Saturday 9/11, you can purchase tickets for this event Buy One Get One FREE through Metrotix.
 
"Johnnie's Jam" features Conan O'Brien musicians as well as Holliday's discussion on his seven year documentary project about the life and music of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician Johnnie Johnson and show excerpts from the film-in-progress.  LA singer/songwriter Doña Oxford will open the evening with The Johnnie Johnson Band.

Before they joined Conan O'Brien's band, guitarist Jimmy Vivino, bassist Mike Merritt, and drummer James Wormworth toured internationally and recorded with Johnnie Johnson. These world class musicians will perform at The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd, St. Louis on September 19th at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Metrotix (314-534-1111 or Metrotix.com).  And for a limited time, 9/9-9/11, tickets for this event can be purchased Buy One Get One FREE through Metrotix with the promo code: JOHNNIE.

Jimmy Vivino, Mike Merritt, and James Wormworth have performed with the likes of B.B.King, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Branford Marsalis, Robert Palmer, Pete Townsend, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, James Brown, Phoebe Snow, Cissy Houston, Al Kooper, The New York Rock and Soul Revue with Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald, Levon Helm, Wynton Marsalis, Cyndi Lauper, Keith Richards, Rufus Wainwright, Bo Diddley, Trisha Yearwood, Michael McDonald, and Isaac Hayes.Doña Oxford was a protégé and great friend of Johnnie. Every musician on stage September 19th will have a direct link to Johnnie Johnson and they'll share their stories about the man behind the legend behind the music. All musicians are available for interviews.  Please contact marla@johnniebegoodthemovie.com for more information.

JOHNNIE BE GOOD On New Year's Eve 1952, band leader Johnnie Johnson hired a guitar player he admired named Chuck Berry and they became two of the creators of rock and roll, influencing The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. JOHNNIE BE GOOD is the story of the complicated relationship between two Rock and Roll Hall Famers: Chuck Berry, the brilliant lyricist and businessman, and piano man Johnnie Johnson, a master boogie woogie and blues keyboardist, complimented each other perfectly and collaborated on hits such as "Maybellene", "Rock and Roll Music", "No Particular Place to Go", and "Roll Over Beethoven". Only Berry's name appeared on the writing credits and it will always be contested how many of Berry's songs should have been co-credited to Johnson. Not even a lawsuit settled the debate.

Eight members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame conducted interviews for JOHNNIE BE GOOD: Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Bob Weir, the late Bo Diddley, Joe Perry, and John Sebastian.

Money can't buy happiness, but can buy a music documentary!  For information on how to make a tax deductible donation towards the completion of Johnnie Be Good, contact Dennis Riggs, director of the Higher Education Channel in St. Louis, Missouri. If you make a donation to HEC, a registered 501C3 non-profit organization, HEC will act as fiscal agent and administer those funds as a grant to Johnnie Be Good.  Dennis Riggs, Director-Higher Education Channel, 314.531.4455, director@hectv.org.
 
Anticipation for this film is high and has already been mentioned in several publications including The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Riverfront Times as well as on air on the following stations: KTRS-AM, KMOX-AM, and KFNS-AM.