Buddy Johnson began studying piano at the age of four, and, although he would make his name leading a jump blues band and hitting the R&B charts, he maintained a lifelong interest in classical music. He played piano with several dance bands and toured with the Cotton Club Revue before forming his own band in 1941, performing at the Savoy Ballroom and touring the country playing “one-nighters.” His sister Ella Johnson was his principle vocalist and enjoyed an early hit with “Please Mr. Johnson.” Arthur Prysock sang with the band while he was still a teenager, and Buddy gave Etta Jones her start.

The Johnson aggregation maintained its popularity throughout the ‘40s and ‘50s with hits that were all introduced by sister Ella: the wartime song “When My Man Comes Home” (1942); “Fine Brown Frame” (1946) which was a hit for blues singer Nellie Lutcher; and “Since I Fell for You” (1948, words and music by Buddy), which was a favorite of Nina Simone. Johnson also wrote a popular dance number “Walk ‘Em” and a tribute to the famous baseball player who broke the color barrier in the major leagues, “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” (1949), a song recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra.

Etta Jones, who sang with the band in 1944, recorded a tribute to Johnson in 1998 entitled My Buddy: Songs of Buddy Johnson, which was nominated for a Grammy as Best Jazz Vocal Performance.

- Sandra Burlingame