Mary Johnson (singer)

Mary Johnson
Birth name Mary Smith or Fair or Williams
Also known as Signifying Mary[1]
Born (1898-03-29)March 29, 1898 or 1900
Yazoo City, Mississippi, United States
Died July 20, 1983(1983-07-20) (age 83-85)
St Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Genres Classic female blues[2]
Occupation(s) Singer, accordionist, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, accordion
Years active 1920s–1930s
Associated acts Lonnie Johnson

Mary Johnson (March 29, 1898 or 1900 – July 20, 1983)[3] was an American classic female blues singer, accordionist and songwriter.[2] Her most noted tracks are "Dream Daddy Blues" and "Western Union Blues."[4] She wrote several of her songs, including "Barrel House Flat Blues", "Key to the Mountain Blues" and "Black Men Blues."[4][5] Johnson worked with Peetie Wheatstraw, Tampa Red, Kokomo Arnold and Roosevelt Sykes, among others. She was married to the blues musician Lonnie Johnson.[4]

Biography

She was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi.[2] According to researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc, she was probably born Mary Smith in 1898, or possibly Mary Fair in 1900;[3] other sources give the name Mary Williams.[2]

Prior to her recording career, Johnson relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1915, where in her teenage years she worked with several of the leading blues musicians of the time.[5] She married Lonnie Johnson; the marriage lasted from 1925 to 1932. They had six children.[2]

She recorded twenty-two tracks between 1929 and 1936: eight songs in 1929, six in 1930, two in 1932, four in 1934, and two (her final recordings) in 1936.[2][1] Her accompanists on these recordings included Roosevelt Sykes, Peetie Wheatstraw, Tampa Red, and Kokomo Arnold.[6]

Johnson worked in the St. Louis area until the mid-1940s.[5] Her song "Key to the Mountain Blues" was recorded in 1948 by Jesse Thomas (musician) as "Mountain Key Blues."[1]

By the 1950s, Johnson had long since given up her career in music, and concentrated on her religion and worked in a hospital.[2][5] In 1960, Johnson was interviewed by Paul Oliver with extracts in his book, Conversation with the Blues. Oliver stated, "Living with her mother Emma Williams in an apartment on Biddle Street, St. Louis, Johnson has known considerable poverty for many years."[1]

Johnson died in St. Louis in 1983,[3] though some sources suggest 1970.[4]

All of her known recordings were released by Document Records on the compilation album Complete Works in Chronological Order (1929–1936) in 1995.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mary Johnson". Sundayblues.org. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Layne, Joslyn. "Mary Johnson". Allmusic. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 187. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Doc Rock. "The 1970s". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Mary Johnson". Redhotjazz.com. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Yanow, Scott. "Complete Works in Chronological Order (1929–1936) > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
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