Johnson, Dink (Oliver)
Johnson, Dink (Oliver)
Johnson, Dink (Oliver), early jazz pianist, clarinetist, drummer; b. Biloxi, Miss., Oct. 28, 1892; d. Portland, Ore., Nov. 29, 1954. Johnson first played drums, then later began learning the piano, working on both during his early years. He played in Las Vegas c. 1913, then joined the Original Creole Orch. on drums. After touring with them, he left in Los Angeles and formed his own Louisiana Six. He worked for a while on drums with Jelly Roll Morton until he was replaced by Ben Borders; he then began to learn the clarinet. He played with Kid Ory on clarinet and piano c. 1920, and played clarinet on Ory’s first recordings in 1922. During early 1920s, he led his own band, Five Hounds of Jazz, in Los Angeles; he renamed the band Los Angeles Six when he moved to Chicago in 1924. After returning to Calif., he was mainly active on piano. He finally retired from full-time music, and ran his own small restaurant in Los Angeles during the 1940s. Johnson played occasionally during last years of his life, including recording sessions in 1945.
—John Chilton, Who’s Who of Jazz /Lewis Porter