Ella Johnson
Ella Johnson (June 22, 1919 – February 16, 2004)[1] was an American jazz and rhythm and blues vocalist.
Born Ella Mae Jackson in Darlington, South Carolina, United States,[1] she joined her brother Buddy Johnson in New York as a teenager, where he was leading a popular band at the Savoy Ballroom. Her singing drew comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.
Johnson scored her first hit with "Please, Mr. Johnson" in 1940. Subsequent hits included "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?", "When My Man Comes Home" and "Hittin' On Me". Her popular 1945 recording of "Since I Fell for You", composed by her brother, led to its eventual establishment as a jazz standard.
She continued to perform with Buddy Johnson into the 1960s. In February 2004, she died of Alzheimer's disease in New York, at the age of 84.[1][2]
Discography
- Swing Me (Mercury/Verve, 1956)
With Houston Person
- The Nearness of You (Muse, 1978)
- Buddy Johnson Orchestra: Rockin' n' Rollin' Featuring Ella Johnson (Collectables)
- Buddy Johnson Orchestra: Gotta Go Upside.. (Bandstand)
- Buddy Johnson Orchestra: Jukebox Hits: 1940-1951 (Acrobat)
- Say Ella (Juke Box, 1983)
- Buddy and Ella Johnson - 1953-1963 (Bear Family Records, 4-CD-Set)
References
- 1 2 3 Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed July 2010
- ↑ Staff report (March 20, 2004). Ella Johnson, 86, Singer in Jazz Bands. New York Times
External links
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