Person Record
Images
Metadata
Name |
Johnson, Sherwood |
Othernames |
Shakey |
Role |
Hall of Fame Me |
Spouse |
Mary |
Sphere Of Activity |
Shakey, the Pizza King, loved music in all forms but particularly Dixieland Jazz; you know the 2-beat, foot stomping stuff. Just where would that be without the banjo to fit the beat? Shakey always featured the instrument in his pizza parlors. Over the years while attending jazz festivals all over the country, many a banjo player told of getting his start or playing at a Shakey's someplace. When the original pizza parlor opened in May of 1954 in Sacramento, CA, Shakey would take his turn at the ivories. Soon it became tradition for other piano players to sit in and display their talents. They had better play Dixieland, ragtime or honky tonk or they'd find the keyboard locked down after the first tune. He wanted music but couldn't afford to pay the musicians. Consequently, they got paid with all the pizza and beer they could consume. In those early days you might find Don Van Palta perched atop the piano being played by Jack Duke. These two great musicians deserve the credit for blazing the trail for the whole banjo/piano idea that became such a part of Shakey's franchises all over the world. During a trip to Japan, Shakey dropped in to a Shakey's Pizza Parlor to hear "Old Black Joe" sung in Japanese dialect, accompanied by a banjo, of course. How very American! He felt right at home. Famous for his sing-alongs, a sign in the original Shakey's reads, "If you don't know the words, fake it like the banjo player." |
Related Records
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A History of Sacramento Jazz 1948-1966 A Personal Memoir by Burt Wilson published in 1986. - Book
2000.001-0010
Record Type: Library
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Digital copy of magazine articles: Sherwood (Shakey) Johnson 1925-1998; published in Jazz Magazine 1998; memorial Shakey Johnson written by Jane Conrad October 11, 2000; Remembering Shakey from the 1999 Jubilee program. - Clipping, Magazine
2000.017-0003
Record Type: Archive
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Fretted Instrument Guild of America ALL FRETS January/February 2013 Cynthia Sayer - Periodical
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Fretted Instrument Guild of America ALL FRETS May/June 2009 Denny & Kathy Overstreet, John & Linda Dystrup & The Central Illinois Banjo Club Peoria Convention Hosts - Periodical
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Fretted Instrument Guild of America ALL FRETS November/December 2004 Dolores Borrow - Periodical
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Fretted Instrument Guild of America ALL FRETS November/December 2008 Jim Barrett - Periodical
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2004.094-0024
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Fretted Instrument Guild of America July/August 1997 Mickey Finn - Periodical
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