Conrad Oberon Johnson (November 15, 1915 – February 3, 2008) was an American music educator, long associated with the city of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, who was inducted into the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 2000. Born in Victoria, Texas, Conrad Johnson was nine when his family moved to Houston. Following studies at

Yates High School Jack Yates Senior High School is a public high school located at 3650 Alabama Street, very near Texas Southern University, in the historic Third Ward in Houston, Texas, United States. Yates High School handles grades nine through twelve and is par ...

, he attended Houston College for Negroes and graduated from

Wiley College Wiley College is a private historically black college in Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is one of the oldest predominantly black col ...

. He was an active member of

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty advi ...

fraternity. He started his career in music education in 1941 and, following a thirty-seven-year career, retired from his position at

Kashmere High School Kashmere High School is a secondary school in Houston, Texas that serves grades 9 through 12; it is a part of the Houston Independent School District. It is located in the Trinity Gardens neighborhood, and its namesake is the nearby Kashmere Garde ...

in 1978, but continued to remain active in shaping music in Houston by conducting summer programs and in-home tutoring. Johnson was a proficient musician in his own right and, at one point, played with Count Basie

Erskine Hawkins tried to convince him to join his orchestra, but Johnson declined, citing a love of teaching and obligations to his family. Later, Johnson made his lasting contribution to music by forming the

Kashmere Stage Band Kashmere Stage Band (KSB) was an elite performing unit of the student band at Kashmere High School from the late 1960s until 1978. History Kashmere High School is located in a predominantly black neighborhood known as Kashmere Gardens in Houston, T ...

, a renowned school orchestra that won a number of awards during its decade-long run. The Conrad O. Johnson School of Fine Arts at Kashmere High School is named after him. Conrad O. Johnson died in Houston days after his former students staged a celebration in his honor. The gala Saturday night concert, which was filmed by a documentary crew, was described by the students as "the greatest 92nd birthday gift that he could have ever requested."

References

Hall of Fame profile
- Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame
Public radio feature on Johnson/Kashmere Stage Band
(February 1, 2008) *[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/music/5511176.html "Legendary jazz educator Johnson 'passed the torch'—He spent his last weekend helping his band" (includes a photograph of Conrad O. Johnson sitting in the audience), ''Houston Chronicle''] (February 4, 2008)
Stones Throw Records InterviewDocumentary about Conrad O. Johnson and the Kashmere Stage Band

External links

* Johnson, Conrad and David Goldstein
Conrad Johnson Oral History
Houston Oral History Project, December 19, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Conrad O. American bandleaders People from Victoria, Texas Musicians from Houston 1915 births 2008 deaths Wiley University alumni 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American educators Schoolteachers from Texas 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American people