Johnnie Johnson, the nimble pianist on Chuck Berry's 1950s and 60s classics and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree in his own right, has died in St Louis of unknown causes. He was 80. Born in 1924, Johnson began playing piano as a child. He was influenced by such jazzmen as Art Tatum, Earl "Fatha" Hines and Count Basie. He served in the Marines during World War II and was a member of the Special Services Band. After the war, he played the Chicago clubs in the blues bands of Muddy Waters and Albert King. In St Louis in 1952, Johnson began a musical partnership with Berry that ran for two decades. He can be heard on Maybellene, which became the singer-guitarist's first hit for Chess Records in 1957. The pianist's rolling, playful accompaniment, redolent of Basie's influence, ornamented such later teen-savvy Berry hits as Sweet Little Sixteen, School Days, Roll Over Beethoven, No Particular Place to Go and Johnny B Goode, which was dedicated to Johnson. Berry and Johnson split in 1973, but they reunited in 1986 for Berry's 60th birthday concert in St Louis, captured in Taylor Hackford's acerbic documentary Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll. In the early 90s, the pianist recorded a pair of well-received albums for Elektra's American Explorer series. Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001. In November of that year, he sued Berry for a share of his former band mate’s writing royalties. The suit was ultimately dismissed. His wife, Frances, and 10 children are still all alive.

Without Johnnie Johnson, Chuck Berry may not have been a success and would not have influenced so many artists including the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Rock may have looked totally different to what it is today. A minute of silence should be had for this great musician whose influence and achievements make us indebted to him forever in the rock and roll world.