The gold leaf., 1901-02-14
RECOLLECTIONS OF ~ % - %
THE BAND
! NJ mories of the Hacyon Days When Old Frank
Iohnson's Orchestra Discoursed Music
That Was Not Classical.
Drank S. Woodson, in Newport News Morning I

Sousa came and he captured the
town, Sousa is a great man and he
has a great band. His music is some
thing wonderful. sat there in the
Academy Of Music simply entranced,
for while, but really before he had
gotten through with the program and
the encores | had begun to get little
more than enough. That was not
Sousa's fault | guess, but rather the
fault Of my very faulty musical edu-
cation and training.
| love to hear good music and |
simply dote on band but | confess
that | got tired of Sou.a. Well, as
was coming out Of the Academy
heard young lady say: '.Oh. why
will Sousa play SO muck classical
music; why does he not coniine him
self to his own grand marches" I
hadn't thought Of it before, but may be
his playing is too classical for my
ear But this I we'll know and know
quito well: in the years long gone by
| was never known to get tired OF Old
Frank Johnson's band.
Old Frank Johnson's band! My!
N.Y. My!M what memories the mere
mention of that wonderful musical
aggregation brings up! Why. away
back yonder, when | was a barefooted
village boy, | could follow that band
for miles or sit and listen to its sweet
music for hours, yes, for days, if it
could have played so long, and | never
got tired. either.
Old Frank johnson was a negro
slave, owned by wealthy Roanoke
river farmer, whose broad acres were
located in Northampton county, N. C..
He bought himself, on credit, and
in like manner purchased the free
dom OF his wife. His old master
threw in the five or six children, all
boys, for good measure. johnson
was a natural-born musician and could
play any instrument he had ever seen,
but his specialties were the fiddle, (no
violins in those good old days, but
fiddles) the clarone. and the cornet.
He earned the money to pay for his
and his family's freedom by tiddling
for balls and dances, and then made a
goodly fortune.
He was known as Old Frank
Johnson when | was born and don't
know how long before. l mover knew
nim to be called by any other name.
He was as black as the ace of spades,
mon musician, no ordinary fiddler.
He was an aristocrat, too, he was; a
regular ''fore de wah" aristocrat and
II any "po' white trash" had offered
to employ him to furnish band music
for poor folks picnic or orchestra
! music for country dance that "po
| white trash would have been smoth-
-red beneath the withering scorn and
righteous Indignation of this ebony
rued old Roanoke river aristocrat. H.
| played only for aristocrats, and was
always well paid.
| All of his sons were musicians anC
back yonder in the tifties when,
then but tot. first knew of Old Franl
| Johnson he had ten sons. and four o.
tive musically inclined nephews. al
named johnson and all tolerably black
none being brighter than "gingel
cake" When l and forty other lad:
II the village used to walk, not run
miles to meet the band when it haC
been announced that '.Old Frank John
| son is coming to town." | knew th'
| given names Of all the sons, but
rave forgotten them now except Johr
'nd Edward and Cephas and Frank
Jr.
Well. Old Frank johnson made up
,rass band Of this family Of sons ant
Iephews, about fifteen or sixteer
strong. Old Frank blew the clarinet
| John johnson, his eldest son. the cor
net; Cephas, the tenor horn; Edward
| the big brass horn, and Frank, Jr.
beat the snare drum. They also ha'
The big bass drum, the cymbals an'
he long drawn-out trombone and al
he other horns and things that 60 t.
make up complete brass band. Al
| he Johnsons were fiddlers or ban
| pickers or flute blowers, and the bust
ress of this great North Carolina mus
| zeal aggregation was to furnish tiel,
and lawn music for aristocratic tour
naments, picnics, etc. and dancin.
music for the inevitable grand bal
hat followed at night. Sometime
the band played at big Democrat
bsrbecues and speakings; but neve
at 3 Wing gathering. Old Fran
Johnson was Il Democrat as we'll as a
iristocrat, and he would have die'
before he would have allowed hi
band to play at Whig meeting. Oh
Frank Johnson's band was known al
,ver Northampton, Halifax, Edge
.ombe, Warren, Nash and Granvill
counties in North Carolina and wa
always in demand.
In summer time the band playe
It the Springs and there was ever
;ear scramble between Kittrell'
springs in Granville county. Jone:
and Shocco Springs in Warren, an
Buffalo Springs just across the Vii
sinia line, for Old Frank Johnson
summer service. Generally eithe
>hocco or Jones would get him an
sometimes Qhe two places bein
'nly two miles aparD they took hir
| jointly, the band playing at one plac
)ne day and one night and at tn
,ther the next and that is how / cam
70 know all about Old Frank Johnson
band.
| When the band was at Jones' O
>hocco it came into the town OF Wal
renton, eight miles distant. once
week or maybe once a fortnight t
play in the court house yard in til
afternoon and for ball at Brownlow'
| Hotol at nipht and tho dancers at tn