Edith North Johnson

Edith North Johnson
Birth name Edith North
Also known as Hattie North, Maybelle Allen
Born January 2, 1903
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died February 28, 1988(1988-02-28) (aged 85)
St. Louis, Missouri
Genres Classic female blues[1]
Occupation(s) Singer, pianist, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, piano
Years active 1920s–1960s
Labels QRS, Paramount, Folkways

Edith North Johnson (January 2, 1903 – February 28, 1988)[2] was an American classic female blues singer, pianist and songwriter.[1] Her most noted tracks are "Honey Dripper Blues", "Can't Make Another Day" and "Eight Hour Woman".[2] She wrote another of her songs, "Nickel's Worth of Liver Blues".

Biography

She was born Edith North in 1928. She married Jesse Johnson, a St. Louis record producer.[1][3] She originally worked at her husband's Deluxe Music Store as a saleswoman.[4] Although not a professional singer, Johnson recorded eighteen sides in 1928 and 1929. She started on QRS Records in 1928. She then switched to Paramount, recording at a session in Grafton, Wisconsin, attended by Charley Patton[5] It is reckoned that Patton did not play on any of her recordings.[1]

Using pseudonyms such as Hattie North (on Vocalion)[6] and Maybelle Allen, Johnson also recorded other tracks for small labels.[1] Under the name Hattie North, she recorded "Lovin' That Man Blues" with Count Basie.[7]

During World War II, Johnson managed a taxicab operation in St. Louis. She ran Johnson's Deluxe Cafė after her husband's death, in 1946.[1][3] Samuel Charters located her in 1961 and recorded her for the anthology album The Blues in St. Louis, released by Folkways Records, on which she was accompanied by Henry Brown.[1]

Her recording of "Honey Dripper Blues" was the inspiration for the nickname used by Roosevelt Sykes. In her later life, Johnson spent time undertaking social work in her hometown.[8]

Johnson died in St. Louis in February 1988, at the age of 85.[2]

Four of her recordings are included in the boxed set Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton (2001).[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Leggett, Steve. "Edith North Johnson". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Doc Rock. "The 1980s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  3. 1 2 Owsley, Dennis (2006). City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis, 1895–1973. St. Louis, Missouri: Reedy Press. pp. 40/1. ISBN 1-933370-04-1.
  4. ↑ Shaw, Arnold (1986). Black Popular Music in America. London: Schirmer Books. p. 105. ISBN 0-02-872310-4.
  5. ↑ Wyman, Bill (2001). Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey. London: DK Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 0-7894-8046-8.
  6. ↑ Sutton, Allan (2005). Pseudonyms on AmericanRrecords, 1892–1942 (2nd ed.). Denver, Colorado: Mainspring Press. p. 243. ISBN 0-9671819-9-2.
  7. ↑ "Lovin' That Man Blues – Count Basie, Hattie North | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  8. ↑ Oliver, Paul (1997). Conversation with the Blues (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 184. ISBN 0-521-59181-3.
  9. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.