James P. Johnson
James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key figures in the evolution of ragtime into what was eventually called jazz. Johnson was a major influence on Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk, and Fats Waller, who was his student. Johnson composed many hit songs, including the unofficial anthem of the Roaring Twenties, "The Charleston", and he remained the acknowledged king of New York jazz pianists through most of the 1930s. Johnson's artistry, influence on early popular music, and contributions to musical theatre are often overlooked, and as such, he has been referred to by musicologist David Schiff as "The Invisible Pianist." |
Birth and Death Data: Born February 1, 1894 (New Brunswick), Died November 17, 1955 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1918 - 1951
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, composer, songwriter, leader, director, lyricist, banjo, guitar
Notes: Sometimes listed as Jimmy Johnson.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 101-125 of 258 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | W146871 | 10-in. | 8/21/1928 | Lonesome swallow | James P. Johnson ; Ethel Waters | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W146872 | 10-in. | 8/21/1928 | Guess who's in town | James P. Johnson ; Ethel Waters | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W146873 | 10-in. | 8/21/1928 | My handy man | James P. Johnson ; Ethel Waters | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W146874 | 10-in. | 8/21/1928 | Do what you did last night | James P. Johnson ; Ethel Waters | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W146941 | 10-in. | 9/4/1928 | Take your tomorrow (And give me today) | Roy Evans | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W146942 | 10-in. | 9/4/1928 | Jazbo Dan and his yodelin' band | Roy Evans ; James P. Johnson | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W147152 | 10-in. | 10/19/1928 | Georgia's always on my mind | Gulf Coast Seven | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Columbia | W148015 | 10-in. | 3/5/1929 | Put your mind right on it | Jimmy Johnson Band | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | leader, songwriter | |
Columbia | W148016 | 10-in. | 3/5/1929 | Sorry | Jimmy Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, songwriter | |
Columbia | W148108 | 10-in. | 3/20/1929 | Fare thee honey blues | Jimmy Johnson Band | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W148901 | 10-in. | 8/20/1929 | My sportin' man | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W148902 | 10-in. | 8/20/1929 | He's got me goin' | James P. Johnson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W148903 | 10-in. | 8/20/1929 | When my baby comes | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W148904 | 10-in. | 8/20/1929 | It makes my love come down | James P. Johnson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W148994 | 10-in. | 9/12/1929 | Oh! Mister Mitchell | James P. Johnson ; Clara Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W148995 | 10-in. | 9/12/1929 | Where is my man | James P. Johnson ; Clara Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W149074 | 10-in. | 10/1/1929 | Wasted life blues | James P. Johnson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W149075 | 10-in. | 10/1/1929 | Dirty no-gooder's blues | James P. Johnson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W149134 | 10-in. | 10/11/1929 | Blue spirit blues | James P. Johnson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W149135 | 10-in. | 10/11/1929 | Worn out papa blues | James P. Johnson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W149136 | 10-in. | 10/11/1929 | You don't understand | James P. Johnson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | songwriter, instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W149137 | 10-in. | 10/11/1929 | Don't cry, baby | James P. Johnson ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | composer, instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W149666 | 10-in. | 12/3/1929 | You've got to be modernistic | Clarence Williams’ Jazz Kings | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer | |
Columbia | W150574 | 10-in. | 6/9/1930 | On revival day | Bessemer Singers ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with male vocal quartet and piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W150575 | 10-in. | 6/9/1930 | Moan, you mourners | Bessemer Singers ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with male vocal quartet and piano | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Johnson, James P.," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103380.
Johnson, James P.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103380.
"Johnson, James P.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: James P. Johnson
Discogs: James P. Johnson
Allmusic: James P. Johnson
Grove: James P. Johnson
IMDb: James P. Johnson
Britannica: James P. Johnson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Johnson, James P. (James Price), 1894-1955 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81139253
Wikidata: James P. Johnson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q550541
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/22327647
MusicBrainz: James P. Johnson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/2a58b026-9659-4bfb-90c9-56c4ad9125f1
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