Johnson, James P(rice) 1894-1955
US pianist and composer

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, he was given rudimentary piano instruction by his mother. The family moved to New York in 1908 and, while still at school, Johnson participated in informal after-hours sessions with other pianists, mainly ragtime performers. In 1912 he began a series of piano-playing jobs in movie-houses, cabarets and dance-halls, gradually becoming the most accomplished player in the post-ragtime 'stride' style. A prolific performer in the 1920s and during the traditional jazz revival of the 1940s, he wrote more than 200 songs (including 'The Charleston') as well as several stage shows, and was a strong influence on such later pianists as Fats Waller and Art Tatum.