Search - Artist/Band: Money Johnson

• Name: Money Johnson
• Birthday: 02/23/1918
• Birth Place: Tyler, TX
• Died: 03/28/1978
• Genre: Jazz
• Styles: Swing

There are no albums for this artist or group.

A journeyman player, Money Johnson was one of the stars with the last version of Duke Ellington's Orchestra in the early 1970's. He began playing trumpet when he was 15, worked with Eddie and Sugar Lou's Hotel Tyler Orchestra and his cousin saxophonist Red Calhoun and played in Oklahoma City (where he met up with Charlie Christian) in 1936. The trumpeter spent a long period with Nat Towles' Orchestra (1937-42) including staying over when the band was taken over by Horace Henderson (1942-44). Johnson moved up to the big leagues when he joined Count Basie's Orchestra in 1944 but fame eluded him through stints with Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, and Sy Oliver. Among his later jobs were periods with Panama Francis, Louis Jordan, Lucky Thompson, Buddy Johnson and Cozy Cole in the 1950's, Reuben Phillips in the early 1960's and Earl Hines (1966-68). His highest profile was when he was a member of Ellington's Orchestra (off and on during 1969-74) during which he was well featured. Money Johnson participated in one of the Buck Clayton recorded jam sessions in 1975 and was active up until the night before his death from a heart attack. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide