Cee Pee Johnson (born Clifton Byron Johnson,"Cee Pee's Wife Faints As She Gets Prison Term"
''The California Eagle''. October 4, 1951. Retrieved January 9, 2021. February 21, 1910 – after October 1954) was an American jazz composer, bandleader, singer and multi-instrumentalist.

Early life and career

Johnson was born in

Marshall, Texas Marshall is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County and a cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population of M ...

in February 1910 and raised in

Algiers, New Orleans Algiers is a historic neighborhood of New Orleans and is the only Orleans Parish community located on the West Bank of the Mississippi River. Algiers is known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans. It was once home to many jazz mu ...

. He first appeared in published sources in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

early in the 1930s, billed as C. B. Johnson, playing in his brother Bert Johnson's band The Sharps and Flats. Johnson danced and sang with this ensemble, and also played banjo and

tom-toms A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between in diameter, though floor toms can go as l ...

."Now: Bert Johnson and His Sharps and Flats"
''El Paso Times''. November 27, 1933. Retrieved January 9, 2021. He moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in the middle of the decade, and played with Emerson Scott's band at the Onyx Club in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. He eventually became the group's bandleader, and played at several high-profile West Coast clubs, including the Paradise Club,"The Paradise Club Presents Gladys Bentley, 'Peg Leg' Bates"
''The California Eagle''. August 11, 1938. Retrieved January 9, 2021. the Del Mar Club (1940), the Rhumboogie, and Billy Berg's Swing Club."Actress Asks Damages; Struck by Drum Stick"
''Harrisburg Telegraph''. May 6, 1947. Retrieved January 12, 2021. His sidemen included

Teddy Buckner Teddy Buckner (July 16, 1909 in Sherman, Texas – September 22, 1994 in Los Angeles, California) was an American jazz trumpeter associated with Dixieland music. Early in his career Buckner played with Sonny Clay. He worked with Buck Clayton i ...

, Karl George, Buddy Banks,

Marshal Royal Marshal Walton Royal Jr. (December 5, 1912 – May 8, 1995) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist best known for his work with Count Basie, with whose band he played for nearly twenty years. Early life and education Marshal Royal ...

Jack McVea John Vivian McVea (November 5, 1914 – December 27, 2000) was an American swing, blues, and rhythm and blues woodwind player and bandleader. He played clarinet and tenor and baritone saxophone. Career Born in Los Angeles, California, his fa ...

Johnny Miller John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ra ...

, and

Buddy Collette William Marcel "Buddy" Collette (August 6, 1921 – September 19, 2010) was an American jazz flutist, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He was a founding member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Early life William Marcel Collette was born in L ...

. His backup drummer was Alton Redd. The ensemble appeared in many films, and was active until at least 1954; he toured

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

in 1953."Rhythm N' Blues Ramblings: Los Angeles"
''The Cash Box''. January 9, 1954. Retrieved January 8, 2021. Johnson worked as a sideman with

Slam Stewart Leroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart (September 21, 1914December 10, 1987) was an American jazz double bass player, whose trademark style was his ability to bow the bass (arco) and simultaneously hum or sing an octave higher. He was a violinist before swi ...

and

Slim Gaillard Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (January 9, 1911 – February 26, 1991), also known as McVouty, was an American jazz singer and songwriter who played piano, guitar, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone. Gaillard was noted for his comedic vocalese singing ...

on their

Slim and Slam Slim & Slam was a musical partnership in the late 1930s and early 1940s consisting of Bulee "Slim" Gaillard (vocals, guitar, vibes and piano) and Leroy Elliott "Slam" Stewart (bass and vocals). They produced novelty jazz numbers featuring Slim's ...

sessions.

Filmography

All entries drawn from Library of Congress except where otherwise noted.Meeker, David
"Jazz On the Screen: A Jazz and Blues Filmography"

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. Retrieved February 7, 2021. * ''

Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 ''Fox Movietone Follies of 1929'', also known as ''Movietone Follies of 1929'' and ''The William Fox Movietone Follies of 1929'', is an American black-and-white and color film, color pre-Code musical film released by Fox Film Corporation. Plot ...

'' (1929) – N/A (uncredited) * ''

The Music Goes 'Round ''The Music Goes 'Round'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Harry Richman, Rochelle Hudson and Walter Connolly Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940) was an American character acto ...

'' (1936) – N/A (uncredited) * '' Woodland Café'' (1937) – Chorus voice (uncredited) * ''

Mystery in Swing ''Mystery in Swing'' is an American murder mystery film released in 1940. It was directed by Arthur Dreifuss, based on a script by Arthur Hoerl. (The University of California at Berkeley erroneously states it was directed by Arthur Hoerl.) ''Mys ...

'' (1940) – With his orchestra * ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...

'' (1941) – Drummer in beach party sequence (uncredited) * ''

Tom, Dick and Harry The phrase "Tom, Dick, and Harry" is a placeholder for unspecified people. The phrase most commonly occurs as "every Tom, Dick, and Harry", meaning ''everyone'', and "any Tom, Dick, or Harry", meaning ''anyone'', although ''Brewer's Dictionary of ...

'' (1941) – N/A (uncredited)"Famed 'Cee Pee' Johnson Coming with His Band for October Shows"
''Honolulu Star-Bulletin''. September 22, 1947. Page 7. Retrieved February 18, 2021. * ''

Birth of the Blues ''Birth of the Blues'' is a 1941 American musical film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Bing Crosby, Mary Martin and Brian Donlevy. The plot loosely follows the origins and breakthrough success of the Original Dixieland Jass Band i ...

'' (1941) – N/A (uncredited) * '' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) – With his orchestra (uncredited) * ''Swing for Your Supper'' (

soundie Soundies are three-minute American musical films, and each short displays a performance. The shorts were produced between 1940 and 1946 and have been referred to as "precursors to music videos" by UCLA. Soundies exhibited a variety of musical gen ...

; 1941) – Leading his orchestra, with

Dorothy Dandridge Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She is the first African-American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which was for her performance in ''Ca ...

dancing * ''Jump In'' (soundie; 1942) – With his orchestra * ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonia ...

'' (1943) – Percussionist in Moroccan cafe sequences * ''Jungle Jig'' (soundie; 1944) – With his orchestra, accompanying

* ''

To Have and Have Not ''To Have and Have Not'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1937 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The book follows Harry Morgan, a fishing boat captain out of Key West, Florida. ''To Have and Have Not'' was Hemingway's second novel set in th ...

'' (1944) – Drummer in club group (uncredited) * ''

The Jolson Story ''The Jolson Story'' is a 1946 American musical biography film which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as Julie Benson (approximating Jolson's wife, Ruby Keeler), William Demarest a ...

'' (1946) – Unseen drum soloist in final night club scene (uncredited)Lamar, Lawrence F
"Cee Pee Orch. Sets Fast Pace"
''New York Amsterdam News''. January 18, 1947. Page 21. Retrieved February 18, 2021. * ''

The Razor's Edge ''The Razor's Edge'' is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. The story beg ...

'' (1946) – Bandleader / Drum soloist in nightclub (uncredited) * ''

The Foxes of Harrow ''The Foxes of Harrow'' is a 1947 American adventure film directed by John M. Stahl. The film stars Rex Harrison, Maureen O'Hara, and Richard Haydn. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Production Design ( Lyle R. Wheeler, Mau ...

'' (1947) – Drummer in voodoo sequence (uncredited)"Large Cast for 'Foxes'"
''The Pittsburgh Courier''. June 7, 1947. Page 16. Retrieved February 7, 2021.

Notes

References

External links

Cee Pee Johnson Cee Pee Johnson (born Clifton Byron Johnson,"Cee Pee's Wife Faints ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

*
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers — excerpt from ''Hellzapoppin (1941) featuring Johnson's trademark tom-tom act
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Johnson's "Swinging It Lightly" — accompanying himself on piano at the conclusion of ''Mystery in Swing'' (1940)
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Cee Pee 1910 births Year of death missing 20th-century American drummers African-American jazz composers American jazz composers African-American male singer-songwriters American jazz bandleaders American jazz drummers American jazz singers Jazz musicians from New Orleans Singer-songwriters from Louisiana 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century African-American male singers

Early life and career

Filmography

Notes

References

Further reading

Articles

Books

External links