Chas. L. Johnson

Chas. L. Johnson

Charles Leslie Johnson (December 3, 1876 - December 28, 1950) was an American composer of ragtime and popular music. He was born in Kansas City, Kansas, died in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived his entire life in those two cities. He published over 300 songs in his life, nearly 40 of them ragtime compositions such as "Doc Brown’s Cakewalk", "Dill Pickles", "Apple Jack (Some Rag)", and "Snookums Rag". His best selling piece, a sentimental ballad called "Sweet and Low", sold over a million copies. Experts believe that had Johnson lived and worked in New York, he would be included alongside Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb as one of the greatest ragtime composers. He wrote more than the other three combined and exemplified a greater range of talent, composing waltzes, tangos, cakewalks, marches, novelty pieces, and other types of music popular at that time.

Birth and Death Data: Born December 3, 1876 (Kansas City), Died December 28, 1950 (Kansas City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1904 - 1934

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, arranger

Notes: Pseudonyms: Raymond Birch, Ethel Earnist, Herbert Leslie, Fannie B. Woods

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 79 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Victor	B-1765	10-in.	10/13/1904	A whispered thought	Arthur Pryor's Orchestra	Orchestra	composer
Victor	E-3761	8-in.	9/4/1906	Iola : Intermezzo	Sousa's Band	Band	composer
Victor	B-3761	10-in.	9/4/1906	Iola	Sousa's Band	Band	composer
Victor	B-3921	10-in.	10/25/1906	Iola	Harry Macdonough ; Frank C. Stanley	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	E-4214	8-in.	1/23/1907	Iola	Byron G. Harlan ; Frank C. Stanley	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-4214	10-in.	1/23/1907	Iola	Byron G. Harlan ; Frank C. Stanley	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	E-6089	8-in.	4/9/1908	Dill pickles	Chris Chapman	Xylophone solo	composer
Victor	B-6089	10-in.	4/9/1908	Dill pickles rag	Chris Chapman	Xylophone solo, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-6429	10-in.	9/21/1908	Southern beauties	Arthur Pryor's Band	Band	composer
Victor	B-6720	10-in.	1/13/1909	Southern beauties	Victor Orchestra	Orchestra	composer
Victor	B-6784	10-in.	2/8/1909	Dill pickles rag	Arthur Pryor's Band	Band	composer
Victor	C-8434	12-in.	12/8/1909	Tobasco	Arthur Pryor's Band	Band	composer
Victor	B-8605	10-in.	2/5/1910	Dixie twilight	Vess L. Ossman	Banjo solo	composer
Victor	B-9730	10-in.	12/20/1910	The porcupine rag	Sousa's Band	Band	composer
Victor	B-14064	10-in.	11/13/1913	Dream days	Will Oakland	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	lyricist, composer
Victor	C-14611	12-in.	3/22/1914	Crazy bone rag	United States Marine Band	Band, with xylophone	composer
Victor	B-15016	10-in.	6/26/1914	Ma pickaninny babe	Heidelberg Quintette	Male vocal quartet and soloist, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-15043	10-in.	7/6/1914	Ma pickaninny babe	Billy Murray ; Will Oakland	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-15332	10-in.	11/4/1914	In the hills of old Kentucky	Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-15363	10-in.	11/10/1914	Dill pickles rag	Six Brown Brothers	Saxophone sextet	composer
Victor	B-17455	10-in.	4/6/1916	Croon-time	Edna Brown ; James Reed	Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-18860	10-in.	12/20/1916	Teasing the cat	Van Eps Trio	Instrumental trio	composer
Victor	B-18964	10-in.	1/5/1917	Golden hours	Sterling Trio	Male vocal trio, with violin, cello, harp, and orchestra	composer
Victor	B-19313	10-in.	2/27/1917	Poppy time in old Japan	Victor Military Band	Band	composer
Victor	B-23328	10-in.	11/6/1919	Where the lanterns glow	Van Eps Trio	Instrumental trio	composer

(Results 1-25 of 79 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Johnson, Chas. L.," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110614.

Johnson, Chas. L.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/110614.

"Johnson, Chas. L.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.