Dink Johnson

Ollie "Dink" Johnson (October 28, 1892 – November 29, 1954^[1]) was a Dixieland jazz pianist, clarinetist, and drummer.

Background

Johnson was born in Biloxi, Mississippi.^[1][2] He was the younger brother of double bassist William Manuel 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] He also played clarinet in Kid Ory's band. For many years he was based in Los Angeles, where he led a band in the 1920s and later ran a bar called Dink's Place at 4429 Avalon Blvd. He was visited there in March 1946 by Bill Russell, who organised most of his piano and one man band recordings. Russell wrote in his diary that Johnson had a room at the back for selling bootleg whisky and hid a gun in a saucepan. He told Russell that he had lived outside the law.

He 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 (his brother-in-law) and his clarinet playing by Larry Shields. Johnson wrote tunes, including "The Krooked Blues" (recorded by King Oliver) and "So Different Blues".

Johnson died in Portland, Oregon.^[1][4]

References