Edith North Johnson

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Edith North Johnson
Birth nameEdith North
Also known asHattie North, Maybelle Allen
BornJanuary 2, 1903
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
DiedFebruary 28, 1988(1988-02-28) (aged 85)
St. Louis, Missouri
GenresClassic female blues[1]
Occupation(s)Singer, pianist, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active1920s–1960s
LabelsQRS, Paramount, Folkways

Edith North Johnson (January 2, 1903 – February 28, 1988)[2] was an American classic female blues singer, pianist and songwriter.[1] Her most noted tracks are "Honey Dripper Blues", "Can't Make Another Day" and "Eight Hour Woman".[2] She wrote another of her songs, "Nickel's Worth of Liver Blues".

Biography[edit]

She was born Edith North in 1903. She married Jesse Johnson, a St. Louis record producer.[1][3] She originally worked at her husband's Deluxe Music Store as a saleswoman.[4] Although not a professional singer, Johnson recorded eighteen sides in 1928 and 1929. She started on QRS Records in 1928. She then switched to Paramount, recording at a session in Grafton, Wisconsin, attended by Charley Patton.[5] It is reckoned that Patton did not play on any of her recordings.[1]

Using pseudonyms such as Hattie North (on Vocalion)[6] and Maybelle Allen, Johnson also recorded other tracks for small labels.[1] Under the name Hattie North, she recorded "Lovin' That Man Blues" with Count Basie.[7]

During World War II, Johnson managed a taxicab operation in St. Louis. She ran Johnson's Deluxe Cafė, after her husband's death in 1946.[1][3] Samuel Charters located her in 1961 and recorded her, accompanied by Henry Brown, for the anthology album The Blues in St. Louis, released by Folkways Records.[1]

Her recording of "Honey Dripper Blues" was the inspiration for the nickname used by Roosevelt Sykes.[8][9]

In her later life, Johnson spent time undertaking social work in her hometown.[10] She died in St. Louis in February 1988, at the age of 85.[2]

Four of her recordings are included in the boxed set Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton (2001).[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Leggett, Steve. "Edith North Johnson: Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Doc Rock. "The 1980s". TheDeadRockStarsClub.com. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  3. ^ a b Owsley, Dennis (2006). City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis, 1895–1973. St. Louis, Missouri: Reedy Press. pp. 40/1. ISBN 1-933370-04-1.
  4. ^ Shaw, Arnold (1986). Black Popular Music in America. London: Schirmer Books. p. 105. ISBN 0-02-872310-4.
  5. ^ Wyman, Bill (2001). Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey. London: DK Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 0-7894-8046-8.
  6. ^ Sutton, Allan (2005). Pseudonyms on AmericanRrecords, 1892–1942 (2nd ed.). Denver, Colorado: Mainspring Press. p. 243. ISBN 0-9671819-9-2.
  7. ^ "Count Basie, Hattie North, Lovin' That Man Blues". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  8. ^ McCulloch, Bill; Pearson, Barry L. (1999). American National Biography Sykes, Roosevelt (31 January 1906- 11 July 1983). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195128001.
  9. ^ "Roosevelt "The Honeydripper" Sykes (1906–1983)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
  10. ^ Oliver, Paul (1997). Conversation with the Blues (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 184. ISBN 0-521-59181-3.
  11. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Charley Patton, Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charlet Patton: Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
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