Claude Joseph Johnson
Claude Joseph ("Dr. C. J.") Johnson (May 16, 1913 – July 20, 1990)[1] was an American gospel music singing preacher and pastor.
He was born on May 16, 1913 in Douglasville, Georgia, the son of Will and Cora Reid Johnson. The family moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1916. His mother died when he was young, and he with his elder and younger sister were raised by his paternal grandmother, Sarah Farley Johnson. His father, Will, was a shape note teacher in Georgia in the 1920s and 1930s.
He first acted as pastor at the age of 12 at the Antioch Baptist Church in Barnesville, Georgia. He was pastor in 14 churches, including his own foundation of the St Joseph's Missionary Baptist Church. In his early twenties, he married Elizabeth Daniels; that union has yielded four children: two boys and two girls.
Although he had been active in Georgia since his early years, he only gained wider prominence from 1964, when he came to the attention of Fred Mendelsohn, then executive producer at Savoy Records. He recorded at least 19 albums. Although most of his recorded songs are traditional, 26 are listed as his own compositions.[2][3]
Partial discography
- 1965 – You Better Run. The title track is otherwise known as "I'm Gonna Run to the City of Refuge"
- 1971 – Save a Seat for Me [4]
- 1988 – My Father's Work [5]
- 1990 – Father I Stretch My Hand to Thee
- 1990 – It's a Sin to Gamble
- 1990 – I Love Jesus
- 1995 – The Old Time Song Service
References
- ↑ "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say"
- ↑ Dargan, William T.; Dargan, Janice S. (1987). "Toward a Critical Biography: The Singing Life of C. J. Johnson (1913–). Preliminary Considerations". Black Music Research Journal (University of Illinois Press) 7: 83–104. doi:10.2307/779451. Retrieved January 31, 2015. JSTOR archive.
- ↑ C. J. Johnson at AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ↑ "Dr. C. J. Johnson – Save a Seat for Me". discogs.com. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Dr. C. J. Johnson – My Father's Work". discogs.com. Retrieved February 1, 2015.