Keg Johnson
Encyclopedia
Frederic Homer Johnson (November 19, 1908 - November 8, 1967) was a jazz
trombonist.
He was born in Dallas, Texas
19 November 1908. His father was a choir director there and also worked at a local Studebaker plant where Keg also worked for a while.
He and his older brother Budd Johnson
began their musical careers singing and playing first with their father and later with Portia Pittman, daughter of Booker T. Washington
. Keg played various instruments but is most noted for the trombone. The two brothers played in Dallas-area bands as the Blue Moon Chasers and later in Ben Smith's Music Makers. Eventually they performed with an Amarillo group led by Gene Coy called The Happy Black Aces.
Around 1928, in Kansas City
, Keg and Budd played in several bands but by 1930 Keg left for Chicago
to play with Louis Armstrong
, recording his first solo on Armstrong's Basin Street Blues
album. When in 1933 Keg went to New York, he played with such greats as Fletcher Henderson
and Benny Carter
, eventually playing with Cab Calloway
at the Cotton Club. Keg remained with Cab Calloway for some 15 years before moving to Los Angeles where he briefly changed careers renovating houses. During the 1950s he returned to New York
where he and his brother recorded the album Let's Swing. In 1961, Keg began playing with Ray Charles
and was still in his band when Keg died in Chicago on 8 November 1967.
Keg Johnson Sr. had a son, Frederic Homer Johnson who is also called "Keg", a record producer whose first production was the R&B oldies hit, "You Got Me Going In Circles". He also produced The Sylvers, Lakeside
, Shalamar
, Levert, The Brothers Johnson, Gene Harris, Bobby Womack
, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and more.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trombonist.
He was born in Dallas, 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...
19 November 1908. His father was a choir director there and also worked at a local Studebaker plant where Keg also worked for a while.
He and his older brother Budd Johnson
Budd Johnson
Not to be confused with Buddy Johnson.Budd Johnson was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Earl Hines, among others.-Biography:He initially played...
began their musical careers singing and playing first with their father and later with Portia Pittman, daughter of Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
. Keg played various instruments but is most noted for the trombone. The two brothers played in Dallas-area bands as the Blue Moon Chasers and later in Ben Smith's Music Makers. Eventually they performed with an Amarillo group led by Gene Coy called The Happy Black Aces.
Around 1928, in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Keg and Budd played in several bands but by 1930 Keg left for Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to play with Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, recording his first solo on Armstrong's Basin Street Blues
Basin Street Blues
"Basin Street Blues" is a song often performed by Dixieland jazz bands, written by Spencer Williams. The song was published in 1926 and made famous in a recording by Louis Armstrong in 1928...
album. When in 1933 Keg went to New York, he played with such greats as Fletcher Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
and Benny Carter
Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...
, eventually playing with Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
at the Cotton Club. Keg remained with Cab Calloway for some 15 years before moving to Los Angeles where he briefly changed careers renovating houses. During the 1950s he returned to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he and his brother recorded the album Let's Swing. In 1961, Keg began playing with Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and was still in his band when Keg died in Chicago on 8 November 1967.
Keg Johnson Sr. had a son, Frederic Homer Johnson who is also called "Keg", a record producer whose first production was the R&B oldies hit, "You Got Me Going In Circles". He also produced The Sylvers, Lakeside
Lakeside
-Australia:*Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia*Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria*Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Queensland*Lakeside Mental Hospital, formerly known as Ballarat Lunatic Asylum, Ballarat, Victoria...
, Shalamar
Shalamar
Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
, Levert, The Brothers Johnson, Gene Harris, Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and more.