Arnold Johnson
Arnold Johnson (March 23, 1893 in Chicago – July 15, 1975 in St. Petersburg, Florida) was an American big band pianist, arranger, composer, and leader during the swing jazz era. He was orchester leader on the popular The Majestic Theater of the Air program on the CBS radio network beginning in 1929. Johnson worked in a Chinese restaurant in Chicago as a pianist when he was fourteen years old, and also worked as an accompanist for vaudeville revues. He studied at the Chicago College of Music and the American Conservatory of Music. He took a job as a pianist in Rudy Wiedoeft's New York-based Frisco Jass Band in the early 1920s, and also worked briefly in real estate around this time. He formed his own band in the middle of the 1920s, which recorded for Brunswick Records and Vocalion Records; Freddy Martin and Harold Arlen were sidemen in the group. Later, Vic Berton, Bob Chester, and Danny Polo would join the band, which played in the Broadway musicals George White Scandals, Greenwich Village Follies, and Earl Carroll's Sketchbook in 1928-1929. The group performed frequently in dance halls in New York and Chicago. Johnson disbanded the group in the early 1930s, and became involved in the broadcasting business, working as a director and producer of radio programs such as National Amateur Night. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 76-100 of 103 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brunswick | E29002 | 10-in. | 12/20/1928 | My Tonia | Arnold Johnson ; Paramount Hotel Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | leader | |
Brunswick | E29003 | 10-in. | 12/20/1928 | My inspiration is you | Arnold Johnson ; Paramount Hotel Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | leader | |
Brunswick | E29220 | 10-in. | Feb. 1929 | Tear drops | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) | leader, composer | |
Brunswick | E29221 | 10-in. | Feb. 1929 | That’s music to my ears | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) | leader | |
Brunswick | E29599 | 10-in. | Apr. 1929 | Breakaway | Arnold Johnson Orchestra ; Scrappy Lambert | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | leader | |
Brunswick | E29700 | 10-in. | Apr. 1929 | Big city blues | Arnold Johnson Orchestra ; Scrappy Lambert | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | leader | |
Brunswick | E29701 | 10-in. | Apr. 1929 | Tear drops | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | leader, composer | |
Brunswick | E29808 | 10-in. | May 1929 | Breakaway | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Brunswick | E29809 | 10-in. | May 1929 | Big city blues | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
Brunswick | E30096 | 10-in. | June 1929 | Don’t hang your dreams on a rainbow | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) | leader, composer | |
Brunswick | E30097 | 10-in. | June 1929 | Pretty little maid of old Madrid | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | leader, songwriter | |
Brunswick | E26534-E26536 | 10-in. | 2/16/1928 | I‘m riding to glory | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quintet; without vocal (take E26536) | leader | |
Brunswick | E26723-E26726 | 10-in. | 2/28/1928 | After my laughter came tears | Harold Arluck ; Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal sextet; without vocal (take E26726) | leader, arranger | |
Brunswick | E27035-E27037 | 10-in. | 3/17/1928 | Ma belle | Arnold Johnson Orchestra ; Lewis James | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take E27037) | leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Brunswick | E27038-E27040 | 10-in. | 3/17/1928 | March of the musketeers | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio; without vocal (take E27040) | instrumentalist, piano, leader | |
Brunswick | E27127-E27129 | 10-in. | 3/26/1928 | Happy Go Lucky Lane | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal effects; without vocal (take E27129) | arranger, leader | |
Brunswick | E27130-E27132 | 10-in. | 3/26/1928 | Together | Arnold Johnson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal effects; without vocal (take E27132) | arranger, leader | |
Brunswick | C4708 | 10-in. | 11/6/1929 | Hollywood | Oriole Orchestra ; Dan A. Russo | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) | composer | |
Brunswick | C4757 | 10-in. | 11/27/1929 | Hollywood | Oriole Orchestra ; Dan A. Russo | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) | composer | |
Edison | 5553 | 10-in. | 5/10/1917 | Johnson "jass" blues | Frisco "Jass" Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Edison | 7155 | 10-in. | 2/10/1920 | "O" (Oh!) | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Edison | 7782 | 10-in. | 2/8/1921 | All for you | Harry Raderman's Jazz Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Edison | 8013 | 10-in. | 5/24/1921 | Sweetheart | Max Fells' Della Robbia Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Edison | 19198 | 10-in. | 5/17/1929 | Tear drops | Oreste Queensland Orchestra ; The Rollickers [Edison] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet | composer | |
Edison | 19284 | 10-in. | 7/9/1929 | Don't hang your dreams on a rainbow | Waldo Mayo | Violin solo, with instrumental ensemble and mixed vocal ensemble | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Johnson, Arnold," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110539.
Johnson, Arnold. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110539.
"Johnson, Arnold." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Johnson, Arnold, 1893-1975 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97048106
Wikidata: Arnold Johnson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q695510
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/43905496
MusicBrainz: Arnold Johnson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e1c0f5de-8978-497c-aff6-fc81f5632cbf
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