Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Ollie “Dink” Johnson was born in Biloxi, Mississippi on October 28, 1892. He was the younger brother of double bassist William Manuel “Bill” Johnson. He worked around Mississippi and New Orleans before moving to the western United States in the early 1910s. He played around Nevada and California, often with his older brother. He played with the Original Creole Orchestra, mostly on drums.

He made his first recordings in 1922 on clarinet with Kid Ory’s Band. He made more recordings in the 1940s and 1950s, mostly on piano, although Johnson recorded some one-man band sessions, playing all three of his instruments by over-dubbing.

His piano style was influenced by his brother-in-law Jelly Roll Morton, and his clarinet playing by Larry Shields. The tunes he wrote included The Krooked Blues, recorded by King Oliver and So Different Blues.

Pianist, clarinetist, and drummer Dink Johnson, who played in the Dixieland genre, transitioned in Portland, Oregon on November 29, 1954.

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