“The reason why I’m here”: The piano player who gave Keith Richards a career
The piano is always going to be playing second fiddle to the guitar in any rock and roll act. No matter how cool Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis made the instrument look back in the day, it’s always going to be difficult sitting down behind the keys rather than wielding your instrument like a gunslinger whenever getting onstage. Keith Richards always liked to look at the big picture in any band, and he knew that he was listening to pure beauty whenever he heard this pianist on a record.
Then again, The Rolling Stones weren’t always meant to be the same guitar-heavy assault they became. They had their moments of classic riffs, but listening back to their history with Ian Stewart, they were always willing to put something new into the mix to fill out the sound, whether that was an organ or the grand pianos on their later material.
And considering how many brilliant ballads they have made, it’s a wonder why none of the songwriting credits weren’t given to Nicky Hopkins during the band’s prime. Even though he was never a fully-fledged member of the group, hearing his beautiful lines on tunes like ‘Angie’ actually gave him a bit more melodicism to Mick Jagger’s melody.
Whereas most pianists were looking to fill out the sound, Johnnie Johnson was looking to make the band move in a different way whenever he got onstage. From his work with Chuck Berry to later working with Eric Clapton, every piece that he played was about giving the rest of the band something to keep up with, usually beating his piano to death by the end of each performance.
And listening to him live, he even managed to give Berry a run for his money. Despite being known as one of the greatest guitarists to put together three chords, Johnson matched his intensity at all times, whether that meant copying his style for his own piano licks or throwing in the odd jazz line that no one would have thought of.
Although Johnson had to wait a few years before being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a sideman, Richards always knew that he was looking at one of the best to ever do it when inducting him alongside James Burton, saying, “One of the pleasures of being a sideman is putting a team together so that the guy out front can do anything he wants to do and feel safe and comfortable. [He’s one] of the best sidemen. The reason why I’m here. Whoever’s the inventor of the piano, eat your heart out.”
And it’s not like Richards stopped paying attention once the piano solo rolled around. Even when someone else took a solo, he knew that part of the gig was to keep the band looking like a living, breathing unit whenever they played, whether that meant pushing them forward a little bit or knowing when to hang things back.
But looking at where Johnson took the piano, it’s fair to say that the keys meant as much as the guitar once they were in his hands. Because you don’t simply play the piano. It’s a percussion instrument at the end of the day, and the best in the world know how to beat the life out of it until it’s pleading for mercy.
