Sherwood "Shakey" Johnson (September 2, 1925 – October 31, 1998) was the founder of Shakey's Pizza.
He was born in Sacramento, California, USA, the son of a California deputy attorney general, and a graduate of Christian Brothers High School (Sacramento, California). In 1943, after graduating, Johnson joined the U.S. Navy and served two years in the Pacific theater aboard the USS Alnitah (AK-127). It was in the Navy that he got the nickname "Shak...
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Sherwood "Shakey" Johnson (September 2, 1925 – October 31, 1998) was the founder of Shakey's Pizza.
He was born in Sacramento, California, USA, the son of a California deputy attorney general, and a graduate of Christian Brothers High School (Sacramento, California). In 1943, after graduating, Johnson joined the U.S. Navy and served two years in the Pacific theater aboard the USS Alnitah (AK-127). It was in the Navy that he got the nickname "Shakey." Johnson attended Sacramento City College, where he was known for a comedy act he performed with a fellow student. He also attended Hastings School of Law in San Francisco.
In 1954, Johnson founded Shakey's Pizza with "Big Ed" Plummer. Johnson was responsible for every detail in the original Shakey's experience, including the food, drink, the clever signs on the walls and tabletops, and especially the music. Johnson hosted live music nightly at the original parlor and insisted that it be jazz-oriented, perhaps Dixieland or ragtime, or old...
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