LeRoi Johnson, king of reviewers, rides into the sunset
LeRoi Johnson, whose two-fisted record reviews and thoroughgoing curiosity helped define The Pitch in its first decade, has died. He was 57 and in recent years had suffered congestive heart failure, diabetes and kidney disease.
Last year, to help this paper mark its 30th anniversary, I called Johnson to talk about his days in KC record stores and alt-weekly publishing. He was gracious and funny, and his recollections and opinions — given more airing than a conversation limited by my deadline and his health allowed — could have, and should have, filled a book.
