Earl Johnson (fiddler)

Earl Johnson (fiddler)
Robert Earl Johnson (August 24, 1886 in Gwinnett County, Georgia – May 31, 1965) was an old time fiddler who was influenced by the music of Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers.
Biography
Johnson learned to play the fiddle at an early age with some assistance from his father. When he was young, he used to practice with his two brothers, Albert on banjo and Ester on guitar. Between 1920 and 1934, he was a regular participant at the Atlanta Fiddlers' Convention. In 1923, Albert and Ester were victims of an epidemic.
The same year, Johnson joined Fiddlin' John Carson's Virginia Reelers and within two years made his first recordings on Paramount Records. Initially, he recorded with the Dixie String Band and Arthur Tanner. He became the Georgia state fiddle champion of 1926 in Atlanta.
Johnson formed the Dixie Entertainers with guitarist Byrd Moore and banjoist Emmett Bankston and they made their first recordings for Okeh Records on Feb. 21, 1927. When Byrd Moore left, Johnson added guitarist Lee "Red" Henderson and formed The Clodhoppers. The new band became successful, recording for Okeh Records in October 1927.
Although he made his last recordings in 1931, Johnson continued to perform on radio and at fiddlers' conventions for the remainder of his life. His last performance was on May 24, 1965, at the Stone Mountain Fiddlers' Convention in Georgia. He died of a heart attack a week later.
Original discography
Earl Johnson's Dixie Entertainers
{| class=wikitable
! Matrix !! Title !! Record # !! Recording date
|-
| 80460 || "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane" || Unissued || February 21, 1927
|-
| 80461 || "Ain't Nobody's Business" || Okeh 45092 || February 21, 1927
|-
| 80462 || "Dixie" || Okeh 45129 || February 21, 1927
|-
| 80463 || "Hen Cackle" || Okeh 45123 || February 21, 1927
|-
| 80464 || "Bully of the Town" || Unissued || February 21, 1927
|-
| 80465 || "I'm Satisfied" || Okeh 45129 || February 21, 1927
|-
| 80466 || "Three Night's Experience" || Okeh 45092 || February 21, 1927
|-
| 80467 || "Johnson's Old Grey Mule" || Okeh 45123 || February 21, 1927
|-
| 80625 || "Boil Dem Cabbage Down" || Okeh 45112 || March 23, 1927
|-
| 80626 || "John Henry Blues" || Okeh 45101|| March 23, 1927
|-
| 80659 || "I Don't Love Nobody" || Okeh 45101 || March 23, 1927
|-
| 80660 || "Shortenin' Bread" || Okeh 45112 || March 23, 1927
|-
| 56560 || "Rocky Palace" || Victor 40304 || November 22, 1929
|-
| 56561 || "Green Mountain" || Victor 40304 || November 22, 1929
|-
| 56562 || "Fiddling Rufus" || Victor 40212 || November 22, 1929
|-
| 56563 || "Mississippi Sawyer" || Victor 40212 || November 22, 1929
|-
| 56564 || "He's a Beauty" || Victor 23638 || November 22, 1929
|-
| 56565 || "I Lost My Gal" || Victor 23638 || November 22, 1929
|-
| 404614 || "When Roses Bloom Again For the Bootlegger" || Okeh 45545 || December 3, 1930
|-
| 404615 || "Buy a Half Pint and Stay In the Wagon Yard" || Okeh 45528 || December 3, 1930
|-
| 404616 || "Take Me Back To My Old Mountain Home" || Okeh 45528 || December 3, 1930
|-
| 404617 || "There's No Place Like Home" || Okeh 45545 || December 3, 1930
|-
| 404618 || "Bringing In the Sheaves || Okeh 45512 || December 3, 1930
|-
| 404619 || "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" || Okeh 45512 || December 3, 1930
|-
| 405044 || "Close Your Bright Eyes" || Okeh 45559 || October 29, 1931
|-
| 405045 || "Way Down In Georgia" || Okeh 45559 || October 29, 1931
|}
Earl Johnson's Clodhoppers
Selected discographyComplete Recorded Works, Vol 1 (1927) - Document Records (1997)Complete Recorded Works, Vol 2 (1927-1931) - Document Records (1997)
Footnotes
References
Bogdanov, Vladimir (2003) Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide to Country: The Definitive Guide to Country Music, Backbeat Books
Daniel, Wayne W. (2001) Pickin' on Peachtree: A History of Country Music in Atlanta, Georgia, University of Illinois Press
Russell, Tony (2007) Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost, Oxford University Press US
Russell, Tony - Pinson, Bob (2004) Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921- 1942'', Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
External links
1001tunes.com
[ Allmusic.com]
Answers.com
eMusic.com
Gracenote.com
American fiddlers
Southern old-time fiddlers
1886 births
1965 deaths
People from Gwinnett County, Georgia
Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state)
20th-century violinists