The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-30
IT EXCELLEO s0usA's
MEMORIES OF DAYS WHEN JOHN
SONS BAND DISCOJRSED
MUSIC.

# will revive in the minds of many of
the generation that is passing who
danced to the music Of old Frank
~Johnson's band. This sketch was writ
ten some years ago for a Virginia
by Mr.. Frank S. Woodson.
p native of W~arrenton, North Carolina.
now one of the editors of the Rich
mond imes-Dispatch, and the fact
that it is a personal reminiscence tends
to it's additional interest:
Sousa came and he captured the
town. Sousa is a great man. and he
has a great band-his music is some
thing wonderful. I sat there in the
Academy of Music simply e%ntranced
for awhile. but really before he had
gotten through with the programme
through with the programme and the
ancores l had begun to get a little
more than enough. That was not Sou
sa's fault, I guess, but rather the fault
Of my faulty musical education and
training. / love to hear good music
and / simply dote on a band, but I
confess that ] got tired of Sousai Why
did 7 get tired Of him? Well, as I was
coming out Of the Academy I heard
a young lady say. "Oh. why will Sou
sa play so much classical music? Why
does not he confine himself to his
grand marches?" [ hadn't thought of
it before. but maybe his playing is
TOO classical for my ear. But this 7
CAib L II liz
years long gon by l was never known
to get tired Of old Frank Johnson's
band.
Old Frank Johnson's band! NV!
My! My!!.-what memories the mere
mention of that wonderful musical ag-
gregation brings up! Why, away back
yOnder when | was a barefooted vii
iage boy I could follow that band for
miles or sit and listen to its sweet
u1lIS1c Tor hours ypS for DAYS If il
could have played SO long; and [
never got tired.
Old Frank johnson was q negro
slave, owned by a wealthy Roanoke
river farmer, whose broad acres we're
located in Northampton county,. N. c..
He bought himself on a credit, and
in like manner purchased the freedom
Of his wife. His old master threw in
five or six children-all boys-for good
measure. johnson was a natural born
musician-could play any instrument
he had ever een-but his specialties
were the fiddle ono violins in those
good old days), the clarionet and cor
net. He earned the money to buy his
and his family's freedom by fiddling
for balls and dances and then made
a goodly fortune.
He was known as "old Frank john
SON when l was born and L don't
know how long before. l never knew
"AASU ~ "hy III L
He was as black as the ace of spades,
but he understood he was no ordinary
'hddler.' He was an a~rist0crat, too.
He was a regular fore de wah' aris-
tocrat, and if any 'po" white trash"
had offered to employ him to furnish
oand music for q poor folks picnic
or orchestra music for a country
dance, that poor white trash would
nave been ~smOthered beneath the
"1therlng scOrn and righteous indig-
nation OF this ebony-hued old Roa-
noke river a~ristocrat. He played
only for aristocrats and was always
we'll paid. All his sons were music
lans and back yonder in the SOS when
[ was but a tot I first knew of old
Frank johnson. He had ten sons and
four or five unsteady inclined ne
pheWs, all named Johnson and all
black, none being lighter than gin
ger-cake." L and forty other lads
of the village used to walk-no, run
miles to meet the band it had
been announced that old Franz John
son was coming TO town. I knew all
the given names of all the sons, but
l have forgotten them now, except
John and Edward, Cephus and Frank,
Jr. Well. old Frank Johnson made
UP a fine band of his family of sons
and nephews, about Is to 16 strong.
Old Frank blew the clarionet, John,
his eldest son., the %cornet, Cephus the
tenor horn, Edward the big bass horn
and Frank, Jr., he beat the snare
drum. They also had the big bass
drum, the cymbals and the long drawn
out trombone and all the other horns
and things that go to make up a
brass band. All the Johnsons were
fiddlers and banjo pickers or flute
blowers, and the business Of this great
North Carolina aggregation was to
furnish field and town music, for or
chestras, tournaments, picnics, etc,
and dancing music for the inevitable
grand ball that followed at night.
Sometimes the INC played at big
Democratic barbecueS OR speaking
never at a Wing gathering. Old Frank
Johnson was a Democrat as we'll as
an aristocrat, and he would have
died hefnra he MAuld have Let his