Dink Johnson

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ollie "Dink" Johnson (1892 – November 29, 1954

clarinetist
, and drummer.

Background

Johnson was born in 1892, most likely in

double bassist William Manuel "Bill" Johnson. He worked around Mississippi and New Orleans before moving to the western United States in the early 1910s. He played around Nevada and California, often with his brother Bill. He played with the Original Creole Orchestra, mostly on drums.[3]

Johnson made his first recordings in 1922 on clarinet with Kid Ory's Band. He made more recordings in the 1940s and 1950s, mostly on piano, although also doing some one-man band recordings, playing all three of his instruments through over dubbing. Johnson's piano style was influenced by Jelly Roll Morton (the common-law husband of Johnson's half-sister, Bessie, known as Anita Gonzales).[4] Dink's clarinet playing was influenced by Larry Shields. Johnson wrote tunes, including "The Krooked Blues" (recorded by King Oliver) and "So Different Blues".[5]

Johnson died in Portland, Oregon in 1954, aged 62.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ Profile (surnames are in alphabetical order), doctorjazz.co.uk. Accessed November 10, 2022.
  2. . Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  3. ^ Karst, James (March 12, 2017). "The story behind the story of the first (commercial) jazz record". nola.com. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  4. ^ Profile (search by surname alphabetically), doctorjazz.co.uk. Accessed November 10, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Allmusic biography. Accessed November 10, 2022.
  6. . Retrieved November 10, 2022.