Conrad O. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Conrad O. Johnson was an American
music educator, long associated with the city of Houston, who was inducted into the Texas
Bandmasters
Hall of Fame in 2000.
Born in Victoria, Texas
, Conrad Johnson was nine when his family moved to Houston. Following studies at Yates High School
, he attended Houston College for Negroes and graduated from Wiley College
. He was an active member of Omega Psi Phi
Fraternity. He started his career in music education in 1941 and, following a thirty-seven-year career, retired from his position at Kashmere High School
in 1978, but continued to remain active in shaping music in Houston by conducting summer programs and in-home tutoring.
Johnson was a proficient musician in his own right and, at one point, played with Count Basie
http://thetyee.ca/Music/2006/04/06/MusicPix/. Erskine Hawkins
tried to convince him to join his orchestra, but Johnson declined, citing a love of teaching and obligations to his family. Later, Johnson made his lasting contribution to music by forming the Kashmere Stage Band
, a renowned school orchestra that won a number of awards during its decade-long run.
The Conrad O. Johnson School of Fine Arts at Kashmere High School is named after him.
Conrad O. Johnson died in Houston days after his former students staged a celebration in his honor. The gala Saturday night concert, which was filmed by a documentary crew, was described by the students as "the greatest 92nd birthday gift that he could have ever requested."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
music educator, long associated with the city of Houston, who was inducted into the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Bandmasters
American Bandmasters Association
The American Bandmasters Association was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music. Goldman sought to raise esteem for concert bands among musicians and audiences...
Hall of Fame in 2000.
Born in Victoria, Texas
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
, Conrad Johnson was nine when his family moved to Houston. Following studies at Yates High School
Yates High School
Jack Yates Senior High School is a secondary school located at 3703 Sampson in the Third Ward in Houston, Texas with a zip code of 77004. Yates High School handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Houston Independent School District ....
, he attended Houston College for Negroes and graduated from Wiley College
Wiley College
Wiley College is a four-year, private, historically black, liberal arts college located on the west side of Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is notable as one of the oldest predominantly...
. He was an active member of Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
Fraternity. He started his career in music education in 1941 and, following a thirty-seven-year career, retired from his position at Kashmere High School
Kashmere High School
Kashmere High School is a secondary school in Houston, Texas that serves grades 9 through 12; it is a part of the Houston Independent School District.Kashmere contains the Conrad O. Johnson School of Fine Arts, a Houston ISD magnet school program....
in 1978, but continued to remain active in shaping music in Houston by conducting summer programs and in-home tutoring.
Johnson was a proficient musician in his own right and, at one point, played with Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
http://thetyee.ca/Music/2006/04/06/MusicPix/. Erskine Hawkins
Erskine Hawkins
Erskine Ramsay Hawkins was an American trumpet player and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is most remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" with saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson...
tried to convince him to join his orchestra, but Johnson declined, citing a love of teaching and obligations to his family. Later, Johnson made his lasting contribution to music by forming the Kashmere Stage Band
Kashmere Stage Band
Kashmere Stage Band was an elite performing unit of the student band at Kashmere High School from the late 1960s until 1978.-History:Kashmere High School is located in a predominantly black neighborhood known as Kashmere Gardens in Houston, Texas. Music teacher Conrad O...
, a renowned school orchestra that won a number of awards during its decade-long run.
The Conrad O. Johnson School of Fine Arts at Kashmere High School is named after him.
Conrad O. Johnson died in Houston days after his former students staged a celebration in his honor. The gala Saturday night concert, which was filmed by a documentary crew, was described by the students as "the greatest 92nd birthday gift that he could have ever requested."