Amoeba Music

Known as the "Father of Stride Piano," James P. Johnson's most famous piece is the Jazz Age-defining song, "The Charleston." Over the course of his career, Johnson recorded over 400 sides, wrote more than 250 pieces and scored eleven musicals.

James Price Johnson was born February 1st, 1894 in "The Hub City," New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1908, the Johnson family moved to Manhattan's San Juan Hill, a neighborhood long since razed to make room for the Lincoln Center. Ragtime great Scott Joplin had moved from Missouri to New York the same year. In the decade that followed, Luckey Roberts, Eubie Blake, Willie "The Lion" Smith and Johnson began playing what was at the time called "New York ragtime" but came... Read More

City Of Origin:

New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Genre:

Jazz, Classic Jazz, Ragtime

Birthdate:

02/01/1894

Death date:

11/17/1955