James "Stump" Johnson

James " Stump " Johnson ( born January 17, 1902 in Clarksville, Tennessee; † December 5, 1969 in St. Louis, Missouri) was an American pianist and singer of the St. Louis Blues.

Life and work

Johnson, who also used the pseudonyms Shorty George and snitcher Roberts, came with his family about 1909 from Tennessee to St. Louis. Formative influence was Son Long, a legendary pianist from the red light district of the city. First recordings were made in 1929 for the label QRS; the Hokum - Blues The Duck's Yas Yas was a party hit in St. Louis. Johnson played him three times; he was covered by Tampa Red, the B-side The Snitchers Blues was recorded by Red as Friendless Blues. Other recordings were made for OKeh and Brunswick and in September and October in 1929 for Paramount in Richmond, where Ike Rodgers and the cornet "Baby" James participated. In 1932 he took on in Dallas for Victor Records with Roosevelt Sykes. His last recordings before the Second World War, he played in Chicago on August 2, 1933, a Bluebird (Do not Give My Lard Away / Stedy Grindin ). Dorthaa Trowbridge, J. D. Short and Pinetop Sparks worked with.

After completing his military service in the U.S. Army, he worked in the restaurant of his brother Jesse in St. Louis. He had the end of 1954 a brief comeback after he was found by Charles " Lindy " O'Brien and interviewed by Bob Koester. He worked in the postwar years in the finance office of the City of St. Louis and as a police officer in the near Wellston. His last recording session had Stump Johnson 1964 Euphonic, as he contributed songs for a movie soundtrack ( Blues Like Showers of Rain), which appeared in 1970.

Published in 2007 an album that contained the pictures taken by Paul Affeldt 1954 Title Snitchers Blues and other previously unreleased tracks.

Disco Graphical Notes

• Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order ( Document )
• The Duck 's Yas Yas Yas ( Agram, ed 2008)