Bill Johnson
William Manuel "Bill" Johnson (died December 3, 1972) was an American jazz musician who played banjo and double bass; he is considered the father of the "slap" style of double bass playing. In New Orleans, he played at Lulu White's legendary house of prostitution, with the Eagle Band, and with the Excelsior Brass Band. Johnson claimed to have started "slapping" the strings of his bass (a more vigorous technique than the classical pizzicato) after he accidentally broke his bow on the road with his band in northern Louisiana in the early 1910s. Other New Orleans string bass players picked up this style, and spread it across the country with the spread of New Orleans Jazz. Johnson was founder and manager of the first jazz band to leave New Orleans and tour widely in the 1910s, The Original Creole Orchestra. They participated in vaudeville skits centered around the "Uncle" character and the "boys," performing in the Midwest, Northwest, and Canada. He brought the Creole Band to Chicago in 1915. Johnson and his band played an instrumental role in establishing Royal Gardens (later known as Lincoln Gardens), as one of the great jazz clubs in Chicago; a location they were residence at beginning in 1918. In Chicago during the early 1920s he assembled King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, considered perhaps the best of the early ensemble style jazz bands. He taught younger Chicago musicians (including Milt Hinton) his "slap" style of string bass playing. He made many recordings in Chicago in the late 1920s. He notably says "Oh play that thing" into the horn during the recording of "Dippermouth Blues" in 1923 with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Johnson continued to play with various jazz bands and orchestras into the early 1950s, sometimes working under other names. He was also involved in the import/export business along the Mexico–United States border. Johnson's younger half-brother Ollie "Dink" Johnson was also a noted musician. Jelly Roll Morton's common law wife from 1917 to 1922, Anita Gonzales (Bessie Johnson), was Bill Johnson's half-sister. Bill Johnson died in New Braunfels, Texas in 1972. |
Birth and Death Data: Born August 10, 1872 (Talladega), Died December 3, 1972 (New Braunfels)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1923 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: string bass, banjo, trumpet, leader
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 51 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gennett | 11386 | 10-in. | 4/6/1923 | I'm going away to wear you off my mind | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Gennett | 11387 | 10-in. | 4/6/1923 | Chimes blues | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Gennett | 11388 | 10-in. | 4/6/1923 | Weather bird rag | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Gennett | 11389 | 10-in. | 4/6/1923 | Sugar foot stomp | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Gennett | 11390 | 10-in. | 4/6/1923 | Froggie Moore | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Gennett | 11391 | 10-in. | 4/6/1923 | Snake rag | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
Gennett | 14065 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Endurance stomp | Blythe's Blue Boys | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14066 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Tuxedo stomp | State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Jazz/dance ensemble, with incidental singing | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14067 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Brown skin mama | Blythe's Blue Boys | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14068 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Road house blues | Marie Grinter ; State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14069 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | St. Louis man | Marie Grinter ; State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14070 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | West Virginia blues | Marie Grinter ; State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14071 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Do right blues | Marie Grinter ; State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14072 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | St. Louis nightmare | State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14073 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Yearning and blue | State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14074 | 10-in. | 7/19/1928 | Tell me, cutie | Blythe's Blue Boys | Jazz/dance ensemble, with incidental singing | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14075 | 10-in. | 7/19/1928 | Someday you'll know | Blythe's Blue Boys | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14076 | 10-in. | 7/19/1928 | Five o'clock stomp | State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14077 | 10-in. | 7/19/1928 | Barrel house baker | State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14078 | 10-in. | 7/19/1928 | Handful of keys | State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14079 | 10-in. | 7/19/1928 | Searching for a flat | State Street Ramblers [Blythe's Blue Boys] | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Gennett | 14080 | 10-in. | 7/19/1928 | How would you like to be me | Blythe's Blue Boys | Jazz/dance ensemble, with incidental singing | instrumentalist, string bass | |
Decca | 68920 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | The goon drag | Sam Price and his Texas Bluesicians | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 68921 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | Things 'bout coming my way | Sam Price and his Texas Bluesicians | instrumentalist, trumpet | ||
Decca | 68922 | 10-in. | 4/3/1941 | Lead me Daddy straight to the bar | Sam Price and his Texas Bluesicians | instrumentalist, trumpet |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Johnson, Bill," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110790.
Johnson, Bill. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110790.
"Johnson, Bill." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Bill Johnson
Discogs: Bill Johnson
Allmusic: Bill Johnson
Grove: Bill Johnson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Johnson, Bill (Double bassist) - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98022506
Wikidata: Bill Johnson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q862216
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/100390397
MusicBrainz: Bill Johnson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/258c295b-bae6-433b-955b-b590fe4a571d
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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