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George W. Johnson

George Washington Johnson (c. October 1846 – January 23, 1914) was an American singer and pioneer sound recording artist. Johnson was the first African American recording star of the phonograph. His most popular songs were "The Whistling Coon" and "The Laughing Song".

Birth and Death Data: Born 1846 (Virginia), Died January 23, 1914 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1894 - 1920

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, lyricist, composer, speaker, whistling

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 53 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Zonophone 1711 9-in. ca. Feb. 1904 The laughing coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone 4167 10-in. Before Feb. 1905 Laughing song George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone 4168 10-in. Before Feb. 1905 Laughing song George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 900] 9-in. Before May 1902 The whistling coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 901] 9-in. Before May 1902 The whistling girl George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 902] 9-in. Before May 1902 Laughing song George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 903] 9-in. Before May 1902 The laughing coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 1896] 7-in. Before May 1902 The whistling coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 1897] 7-in. Before May 1902 The whistling girl George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 1898] 7-in. Before May 1902 Laughing song George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 1899] 7-in. Before May 1902 The laughing coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 2030] 7-in. Before May 1902 Carving the duck George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 5081] 7-in. Late 1902-early 1903 Laughing song George W. Johnson Minstrels, with male vocal solo and piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat 5081] 9-in. Late 1902-early 1903 Minstrels - Laughing song George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat P 5290] 7-in. Before June 1903 Carving the duck George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Ox cat 5290] 7-in. ca. 1904-1905 Carving the duck George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat C 5290] 9-in. Before June 1903 Carving the duck George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat P 5432] 7-in. Before June 1903 The whistling coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Ox cat 5432] 7-in. ca. 1904-1905 The whistling coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat C 5432] 9-in. Before June 1903 The whistling coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Ox cat 5631] 7-in. ca. 1904-1905 Laughing song George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Ox cat 5697] 7-in. ca. 1904-1905 The laughing coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat C 5697] 9-in. Before Dec. 1903 The laughing coon George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Zo cat P 5852] 7-in. Before Apr. 1904 The whistling girl George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Zonophone [Ox cat 5852] 7-in. ca. 1904-1905 The whistling girl George W. Johnson Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
(Results 26-50 of 53 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Johnson, George W.," accessed May 12, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107861.

Johnson, George W.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 12, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107861.

"Johnson, George W.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 12 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107861

External Sources

Wikipedia: George Washington Johnson

Discogs: George W. Johnson

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Johnson, George W., 1846-approximately 1910 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n99035953

Wikidata: George Washington Johnson - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1372290

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/41171545

MusicBrainz: George Washington Johnson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4ff572ad-0fe8-4eaa-929f-e8a6a1622d43

ISNI: 0000 0000 3835 2029 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000038352029

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