Buster Johnson

Buster Johnson (June 27, 1885—May 3, 1960) was an American trombonist and jazz musician.

Buster Johnson was born Theron Ellsworth Johnson on June 27, 1885, in Zanesville, Ohio.

Little is known about his life before 1917 when he arrived in New York, probably on a musical tour from California.

In 1917, he formed a Frisco Jass Band with violinist Marco Woolf, saxophonist Rudy Wiedoeft, pianist Arnold Johnson, and a banjo and a drummer. They played at various venues in New York, including, Montmartre, the Winter Garden, and summer resorts. They also made around ten phonograph recordings between May and August 1917 for Edison Records (e.g. "Pozzo", Edison Records – 50464).

In 1918, Johnson left New York for California and played in a quintet with Henry Busse (trumpet) and Gussie Mueller (clarinet). They composed "Wang Wang Blues", with lyrics by Leo Wood. The song was released as a 78 single by Paul Whitemanand his Orchestra. It is one of the most recorded jazz songs, later also recorded by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Mamie Smith, Gus Van and Joe Schenck, Fletcher Henderson, Sam Lanin, Benny Goodman, King Oliver, Lucille Hegamin, Benny Krueger, Ted Lewis, Doc Severinsen, Billy Butterfield, Bob Wills, Eubie Blake, Mal Hallett, Lawrence Welk, Art Tatum, Eydie Gormé, Bobby Hackett, the Ames Brothers, James Tim Brymn, the Norfolk Jazz Quartet, Willy Metschke, and Barbara McNair.

After Gussie Mueller was summoned to the army in September 1918, Johnson briefly played in Abe Lyman's newly formed orchestra in Santa Monica, California.

In December 1918, Johnson, (along with Henry Busse and Gussie Mueller) were recruited into one of Paul Whiteman's orchestras for a performance at Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

Since Whiteman was overworked at the end of January 1919, Busse took over as the lead of the band for the remainder of the engagement. Whiteman, after recovering, formed a new, smaller ensemble.

In December 1919, Whiteman again gathered a larger orchestra, this time for a gig at the Alexandria Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Johnson, as well as Busse and Mueller, were also recruited for this orchestra. In April 1920, the orchestra left Los Angeles to perform at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. During this engagement, the orchestra was discovered by Calvin Childs, an employee of Victor Records, and was invited to do a gig on August 8, 1920; Johnson was the only orchestra member with previous studio experience. Around the time the orchestra's records gained popularity, it moved from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to New York with a two-year contract for daily performances at Palais Royal. In parallel, new recordings were made. Johnson was able to participate in about ten recordings with Whiteman's orchestra and can be heard as a soloist on, among other things Best Ever Medley as well as in several trumpet trombone duets with Henry Busse.

However, on November 22, 1920, both Johnson and Gussie Mueller chose to leave Whiteman's orchestra to return to California. They were replaced by Sam Lewis and Ross Gorman.

Back in California, Johnson (like Mueller) re-joined Abe Lyman's orchestra.

Around 1924, Johnson was a member of pianist Vincent Rose's orchestra, which performed at Montmartre Café in Hollywood. With Rose, Johnson made some recordings for Victor Records, alongside Harry Owens ("Helen Gone", Victor 19398). Shortly thereafter, however, Johnson returned to the East Coast and Atlantic City where he performed with his wife, dancer Peggy Marsh, and an orchestra led by Tom Satterfield.

Little is known about Johnson in the next eight years. In 1932, he was a member of the house orchestra at Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

Johnson died in Roseville, California, on May 3, 1960, at age 74.