Johnny Harper Memorial Livestream

Johnny Harper’s Big Party begins with a slide show, followed by a New Orleans-style second line parade through the aisles of Berkeley’s iconic Freight and Salvage coffee house. MCs Deborah Blackburn and Dale Geist welcome you to an evening of music and remembrances of Johnny.

Old friends, colleagues, loved ones and Johnny’s niece speak before we present a video of Johnny and Barbara Dane, followed by an original song about Johnny by an English friend of his. This leads to a live acoustic set by several of Johnny’s friends and students. We see a video of Johnny and his bands Hot Links and Carnival before a rotating house band launches into a final rock 'n' roll set of Johnny Harper originals, plus a few classic tunes.

We end with a singalong of “They All Ax’d for You”: Johnny often used to close band shows with this number and we include additional verses by a couple of his dearest friends. We toss you virtual Mardi Gras beads and kisses and say goodnight. We know you will keep Johnny and his music in your hearts. A PDF version of the program is here: https://tinyurl.com/JHMemorialProgram. (You can print it and follow along if you like).