Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson (born Kermit H. Johnson, March 25, 1904 – March 23, 1967) was an American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist. Tony Russell stated in his book The Blues – From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray that "Johnson shared with the other members of the 'Boogie Woogie Trio' the technical virtuosity and melodic fertility that can make this the most exciting of all piano music styles, but he was more comfortable than Meade Lux Lewis in a band setting; and as an accompanist, unlike Lewis or Albert Ammons, he could sparkle but not outshine his singing partner". Scott Yanow for AllMusic, wrote: "Johnson was one of the three great boogie-woogie pianists", the others being Lewis and Ammons "whose sudden prominence in the late 1930s helped make the style very popular". |
Birth and Death Data: Born May 3, 1904 (Kansas City), Died May 23, 1967 (Buffalo)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1940 - 1944
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, songwriter, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 34 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-060399 | 10-in. | 1/29/1941 | Boogin' on the downbeat | Teddy Powell Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | PBS-061317 | 10-in. | 6/25/1941 | Johnson Special | Californians ; Abe Lyman | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | BS-063861 | 10-in. | 5/7/1941 | Boogie woogie man | Albert Ammons ; Pete Johnson | Piano duet, with drums | songwriter, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BS-063863 | 10-in. | 5/7/1941 | Barrel house boogie | Albert Ammons ; Pete Johnson | Piano duet, with drums | songwriter, instrumentalist, piano | |
| Victor | BS-063864 | 10-in. | 5/7/1941 | Cuttin' the boogie | Albert Ammons ; James F. Hoskins ; Pete Johnson | Piano duet, with drums | instrumentalist, piano, songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-066116 | 10-in. | 6/17/1941 | Foot pedal boogie | Albert Ammons ; Pete Johnson | Piano duet, with drums | instrumentalist, piano, songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-066117 | 10-in. | 6/17/1941 | Walkin' the boogie | Albert Ammons ; Pete Johnson | Piano duet, with drums | instrumentalist, piano, songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-066118 | 10-in. | 6/17/1941 | Sixth Avenue Express | Albert Ammons ; Pete Johnson | Piano duet, with drums | instrumentalist, piano, songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-066119 | 10-in. | 6/17/1941 | Pine Creek boogie | Albert Ammons ; Pete Johnson | Piano duet, with drums | instrumentalist, piano, songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-066120 | 10-in. | 6/17/1941 | Movin' the boogie | Albert Ammons ; Pete Johnson | Piano duet, with drums | instrumentalist, piano, songwriter | |
| Decca | 68004 | 10-in. | 8/23/1940 | Blues on the down beat | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 68005 | 10-in. | 8/23/1940 | Kaycee on my mind | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 68332 | 10-in. | 11/11/1940 | 627 stomp | Pete Johnson's Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 68333 | 10-in. | 11/11/1940 | Piney Brown blues | Pete Johnson's Band ; Joe Turner | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 68334 | 10-in. | 11/11/1940 | Lafayette | Hot Lips Page Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 68335 | 10-in. | 11/11/1940 | South | Hot Lips Page Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 68435 | 10-in. | 12/3/1940 | Harlem rhumbain' the blues | Hot Lips Page and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 68436 | 10-in. | 12/3/1940 | No matter where you are | Hot Lips Page and his Band | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 69157 | 10-in. | 5/8/1941 | Basement boogie | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 69158 | 10-in. | 5/8/1941 | Death ray boogie | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 69159 | 10-in. | 5/8/1941 | Just for you | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | 69160 | 10-in. | 5/8/1941 | Pete's mixture | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | N 1692 | 10-in. | 2/17/1944 | Kaycee feeling | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | N 1693 | 10-in. | 2/17/1944 | Lights out mood | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano | ||
| Decca | N 1694 | 10-in. | 2/17/1944 | Dive bomber | Pete Johnson | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Johnson, Pete," accessed November 24, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/100033.
Johnson, Pete. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/100033.
"Johnson, Pete." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Pete Johnson
Discogs: Pete Johnson
Allmusic: Pete Johnson
Grove: Pete Johnson
IMDb: Pete Johnson
Britannica: Pete Johnson
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Johnson, Pete, 1904-1967 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81146973
Wikidata: Pete Johnson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1399599
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/100245579
MusicBrainz: Pete Johnson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/017869f9-5103-409d-b6e5-917c0433c68c
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