The story
Jazz pianist born February 1, 1894, New Brunswick, New Jersey; died November 17, 1955, Jamaica, New York
James P. Johnson was an important transitional figure between ragtime and jazz piano styles. His style became known as Stride. As a boy, Johnson studied Classical music and Ragtime. He started playing professionally in a sporting house, and then progressed to rent parties, bars and vaudeville. He eventually became known as the best piano player on the East Coast and was widely utilized as an accompanist on over 400 recordings and, from 1916 on, produced hundreds of piano rolls under his own name. He backed up many of the Classic Blues singers of the 1920s, including Ida Cox, Ethel Waters, and Bessie Smith.
Johnson's 1921 recording of "Carolina Shout" is considered to be the first recorded Jazz piano solo by some critics, although it sounds a lot like Ragtime to this listener's ears. He wrote several musical revues, including "Running Wild," "Plantation Days," and his 1928 collaboration with his former piano student Fats Waller, "Keep Shufflin'". His song "The Charleston" from "Running Wild" was one of the best known and most widely recorded songs of 1920s.
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