The late Bob Weir had the opportunity to play and jam with many other respected musicians during his long career, both with The Grateful Dead and his solo projects. When it comes to choosing a favorite musician he ever performed with, Weir’s answer might surprise you.
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In 2016, Bob appeared on an episode of the AXS TV show Rock & Roll Road Show with Sammy Hagar. The program featured the Red Rocker traveling to various locations to interview and play with other famous musicians. Hagar didn’t have to go far to meet up with Weir, since the two were neighbors in Mill Valley, California.
[RELATED: 3 Live Performances That Show How Bob Weir Redefined the Rhythm Guitar Role]
During their conversation, Sammy asked Bob to name the musician, outside of his fellow Grateful Dead members, he enjoyed playing with the most.
Weir initially said he couldn’t name one, then paused and suddenly blurted out, “Johnnie Johnson. … It finally came to me.”
Johnson was best-known as Chuck Berry’s longtime piano player. Berry joined Johnson’s band during the early to mid-1950s, but Chuck soon became the leader of the group. Johnson went on to tour and record with Berry on and off until 1973.
Weir had the opportunity to play with Johnson when the piano player joined Bob’s side band RatDog for two years during the late 1990s.
Weir Explained Why He Loved Playing with Johnson
Hagar asked Weir what was so memorable about performing with Johnson, and Bob explained, “Well, Johnny taught me and the guys in RatDog … how to play rock and roll. … You know, real rock and roll.”
Surprised by Weir’s comment, Sammy said to him, “It wasn’t till the late 90s till you learned how to play rock and roll, Bob?”
Weir responded, “Yeah. I didn’t know what rock and roll was. And you know, … Chuck Berry joined the Johnnie Johnson band back in the 50s, early, mid-50s, and it became the Chuck Berry outfit. But Johnny was the guy who, just by himself, started playing shuffle against straight, and it’s mathematically impossible. You know, the mathematical subdivisions just don’t work out. They can’t. But Johnnie was the guy who invented that, and then Little Richard picked up on it. It was piano-driven to begin with, and it was Johnnie who did it.”
Bob continued, “And he taught us how to play that stuff. … We had Rob Wasserman playing upright bass … the drummer playing sort of non-committal, [and the] piano player hammering the shuffle.”
Weir explained that Johnson playing a shuffle on the piano while “Chuck Berry was playing real straight on his guitar” created a tension that resulted in real rock and roll.
More About Johnnie Johnson
Johnson played on most of Berry’s classic songs from the 1950s and early 1960s. Berry also has said that his signature song “Johnny B. Goode” was partly inspired by Johnson.
By the late 1980s, Johnson had stepped away from the music business, but began performing again after he was asked by Keith Richards in 1987 to take part in Berry’s star-studded 60th birthday concert in St. Louis. Johnnie was featured in the documentary that centered around the show, Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll.
That same year, Johnson released his official debut solo album, Blue Hand Johnnie.
In 2000, Johnson sued Berry, claiming he wasn’t rightly credited for co-writing dozens of Chuck’s tunes. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed because too many years had passed since the tunes were written. In 2001, Johnson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the Sideman category.
He died at age 80 in 2005.
About Bob Weir’s Death
Weir died on January 10, 2026, from lung issues he experienced after a battle with cancer. He was 78.
(Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
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