Jeff Johnson (country musician)

Jeff David Johnson (born 1942 in Galesburg , Illinois , † January 26, 2010 ) was an American rockabilly and country musician . He is best known for his version of the Jimmie Skinner song Doin 'My Time .

Life

Jeff Johnson was born in Illinois in the early 1940s. However, suffering from bronchitis , the family with Johnson moved to Tucson , Arizona , where a drier climate prevailed, at the age of two . Johnson was brought into music by his family and his mother taught him to sing. At the age of eleven he learned to play the guitar . Johnson cited Johnny Cash as a strong influence . When his debut single Hey Porter / Cry! Cry! Cry! Released in 1955, Johnson was immediately fascinated by Luther Perkins ' style and began to re-enact the songs.

Johnson made his first appearance in the late 1950s, and wrote his first song while in high school in 1958. However, Johnson was extremely shy and therefore played little live, even in his later professional career.

In 1962, Johnson met the entrepreneur AC Keener in a record shop, who opened up an offer to Johnson to let him make records. Shortly thereafter, Johnson recorded Doin 'My Time and That Little Girl of Mine in a small studio . Doin 'My Time was clearly inspired by Johnny Cash's 1957 version and was only accompanied by guitarist Lamont McConnel, who tried to copy Luther Perkins' style. Johnson backed him up with a remarkable play on the rhythm guitar. Released towards the end of the year, the single received good reviews and sold well. However, Johnson's manager Keener could not meet the requests for records and not market the record. The song therefore only remained a local success.

His next single experienced the same bad luck. The two self-written songs Flight 404 and Movies # 2 (a parody of Buck Owens ' Act Naturally ) were accompanied by a whole band this time. Despite the fact that the single was not a hit again, Johnson succeeded to his delight in meeting his idol Johnny Cash, who played several times in Tucson, several times.

By this time Johnson was already well known in and around Tucson and he was given the opportunity to record another single for Dewl Records. Accompanied again by his band, this time the record was successful in California and Las Vegas . A national hit did not materialize, however. In the late 1960s, Johnson concentrated - despite his shyness - on tours on which he also accompanied stars such as David Houston , Leroy Van Dyke , Marion Worth and Chuck Berry . Johnsons made his last recordings as a guitarist in Jerry Haymes' band.

Johnson then tried to get a record deal with RCA Victor , but they refused. He then gave up his career in the mid-1970s due to the failures and composed advertising songs for radio stations.

Johnson has had a variety of health problems over the past few years, but at the same time has been working in his own small studio. He died in 2010 at the age of 68.

Discography

year	title	Label #
1962	Doin 'My Time / That Little Girl of Mine	Reneek KRL 116
1963	Flight 404 / Movies No.2	Reneek KRL 122
	I Said It and I'm Glad / What's Our World Coming To	Dewl 4268

Web links

• Entry into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• Discography with audio samples