Johnson, James P. (1894-1955), was an American pianist and composer. Johnson made important contributions to ragtime, jazz, and popular music. He was part of a group of ragtime pianists on the East Coast who created a solo jazz piano style called stride. See Jazz (The 1920’s).
James Price Johnson was born on Feb. 1, 1894, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. As a youth, he studied classical piano, but he was also exposed to blues, ragtime, and show music. He began to play professionally at age 18. In 1918, he recorded his most influential composition, “Carolina Shout.” This marked the beginning of a successful recording career that included his songs “The Harlem Strut” (1921), “Keep Off the Grass” (1921), “You’ve Got to be Modernistic” (1929), and “Jingles” (1930). His long-running Broadway musical Runnin’ Wild (1923) produced the hit songs “The Charleston” and “Old Fashioned Love.” Johnson also wrote several classically influenced works, including Harlem Symphony (completed 1932); Jassamine (copyrighted 1934), a piano concerto; and, with American author Langston Hughes, a one-act blues opera called The Organizer (1940). Johnson died on Nov. 17, 1955.
