Lem Johnson
Lemuel Charles "Lem" Johnson (also Deacon Lem Johnson , born August 16, 1909 in Oklahoma City , † April 1, 1989 in New York City ) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician ( tenor saxophone , clarinet and singing ).
Live and act
Johnson began his career as a clarinetist in local bands in the mid-1920s; from 1928 he played the saxophone and, as a member of the Blue Devils, had lessons from Walter Page . In 1929 he played with Sammy Price on a radio show. In the early 1930s he belonged to various formations, played three years with Eli Rice, mostly in Minneapolis in the middle of the decade . Around 1936 he went on tour with Earl Hines ; then he moved to New York. In the following years he worked with Fess Williams , Luis Russell , Louis Jordan (1938/39), Buster Harding, and in the early 1940s with Eddie Durham , as well as Edgar Hayes , Sidney Bechet (1941) and Claude Hopkins (1942/43 ).
From this time until the 1960s Johnson worked with his own groups. In 1942 he recorded under his own name for Decca Records ( Goin 'Down Slow / Candy Blues ), further recordings were made in 1944, 1946 ( Oo Wee Babe / Walkin' the Boogie , on Queen Records ) and in 1953 as a vocalist for MGM with Sam “The Man “Taylor and Milt Hinton as Sidemen ( I Got a Letter ). A compilation of his recordings was published under the title Complete Lem Johnson 1940-1953 (Blue Moon). In the field of jazz he was involved in 18 recording sessions between 1938 and 1969, apart from the aforementioned with Skeets Tolbert , Lil Green , Warren Evans and Hot Lips Page ( Rockin 'at Ryans ).
Lexical entry
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
Web links
- Eugene Chadbourne : Lem Johnson at Allmusic (English)
- Lem Johnson at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johnson, Lem |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Johnson, Lemual Charles (full name); Johnson, Deacon Lem |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz and rhythm and blues musician (tenor saxophone, clarinet and vocals) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 16, 1909 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Oklahoma City |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 1, 1989 |
| Place of death | New York City |