Gus Johnson (jazz musician)

Gus Johnson (born 15 November 1913 in Tyler, Texas, † February 6, 2000 in Westminster, Colorado) was an American jazz drummer.

Johnson played the piano before he studied bass and drums. At the age of ten years, he has performed in Houston at the Lincoln Theatre. He worked with McDavid 's Blue Rhythm Boys and Lloyd Hunter and founded after graduating from high school in Kansas City own vocal group, the Four Rhythm Aces.

The mid-1930s he worked under bandleaders like Jo Jones and bacon Redd before 1938, the band of pianist Jay McShann joined, the Charlie Parker belonged to at the time. Under McShann, he played one of his first recordings as a pianist. In 1943 he came to the U.S. Army. After the end of World War II, he joined initially on with Jesse Miller, Eddie " Cleanhead " Vinson, Earl Hines and Cootie Williams.

In 1949 he became a member of Count Basie's Combo and 1950 of its new gegründetem orchestra. Since 1954 he worked as a companion of singers Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald and was also a member of the bands by Buck Clayton ( 1955-57 ) and Woody Herman (1959). He also played in that time shooting with the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Ralph Sutton and Stan Getz.

In 1969 he became a member of Yank Lawson and directed by Bob Haggart The World's Greatest Jazz Band, which he served until 1974. Here he played a recording with the pianist Ralph Sutton and Jay McShann and Eddie Lockjaw Davis.

In 1974, he sat down in Denver to rest, but stepped on occasionally and played a recording, so in 1979 with Count Basie and Peanuts Hucko 1983. He gave in 1990 in Bern with Jay McShann, Ralph Sutton and Milt Hinton His last public concert.