ROCK & ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS WAS THE GATEWAY TO ROCK Five Star Lift Edition

• Published in: St. Louis post-dispatch
• Main Author: Contributors: Daniel Durchholz, Cliff Froehlich, Kevin C. Johnson, Jordan Oakes, Terry Perkins, Steve Pick, Joe Williams
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: St. Louis, Mo Pulitzer, Inc 03.07.2005
• Subjects: History; Musicians & conductors; Rock music; St Louis Missouri
• ISSN: 1930-9600

JOHNNIE JOHNSON: Johnson was too often regarded merely as [Chuck Berry]'s sideman from back in the day (Johnson actually hired Berry to fill in on a gig, giving the legend one of his first breaks). Johnson can, indeed, be heard on some of Berry's biggest hits, including "Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Back in the U.S.A." and "School Days." But the boogie- woogie pianist was also an artist in his own right -- one of rock's finest. Just ask the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir or members of the Kentucky Headhunters, who came to St. Louis for his funeral in April, or admirers such as Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and Keith Richards. (KCJ) UNCLE TUPELO: A band that combined the gravitas of classic folk and country music with the power and economy of hardcore punk, Uncle Tupelo helped give rise to the alternative-country movement of the 1990s and beyond. The media helped: A popular Internet discussion board and, later, a magazine took their name from the band's debut album, "No Depression." But the music of Belleville, Ill., natives [Jay Farrar], Jeff Tweedy and [Mike Heidorn] warranted the attention, as they sang about working-class woes, barroom desperation and small- town ennui. After three independent albums, Heidorn left and Farrar and Tweedy expanded Tupelo's lineup for their major-label debut (and swan song, as it turned out), 1993's "Anodyne." (DD) WILCO: In the wake of Uncle Tupelo's demise, Jeff Tweedy took the band's final incarnation (minus Jay Farrar) and formed Wilco. After a shaky start, Wilco expanded its sound beyond alternative country. Tweedy moved to Chicago and the band continually changed lineups. Wilco recorded two albums (with Billy Bragg) of Woody Guthrie's unfinished songs but hit a snag when its own "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" was regarded as uncommercial and rejected by the group's record label. It was finally released (unchanged) in 2002 to critical raves. The band has been the subject of a documentary film, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," and a book, Greg Kot's "Wilco: Learning How to Die." Wilco's latest album is 2004's "A Ghost Is Born." (DD)