Ella Johnson

Ella Johnson (June 22, 1919 – February 16, 2004)[1] was an American jazz and rhythm and blues vocalist.

Music career

Born Ella Mae Jackson in Darlington, South Carolina, United States,[1] she joined her brother Buddy Johnson in New York as a teenager,[2] where he was leading a popular band at the Savoy Ballroom. Her singing drew comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.

Johnson scored her first hit with "Please, Mr. Johnson" in 1940. Subsequent hits included "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?", "When My Man Comes Home" and "Hittin' On Me". Her popular 1945 recording of "Since I Fell for You", composed by her brother, led to its eventual establishment as a jazz standard.

She continued to perform with Buddy Johnson into the 1960s. AllMusic noted that her "later solo sides for Mercury are pale imitations of her work with the band."[2]

In February 2004, she died of Alzheimer's disease in New York, at the age of 84.[1][2][3]

Discography

  • Swing Me (Mercury/Verve, 1956)
  • The Nearness of You (Muse, 1978), With Houston Person
  • Buddy Johnson Orchestra: Rockin' n' Rollin' Featuring Ella Johnson (Collectables), With Buddy Johnson Orchestra
  • Buddy Johnson Orchestra: Gotta Go Upside.. (Bandstand)
  • Buddy Johnson Orchestra: Jukebox Hits: 1940-1951 (Acrobat)
  • Say Ella (Juke Box, 1983)
  • Buddy and Ella Johnson - 1953-1963 (Bear Family Records, 4-CD-Set)

References

  1. 1 2 3 Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 2004 January To June". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  2. 1 2 3 Hank Davis. "Ella Johnson | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  3. ↑ (March 20, 2004). Ella Johnson, 86, Singer in Jazz Bands. The New York Times


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