David Earle Johnson (April 10, 1938 - December 22, 1998) was an American percussionist, composer and music producer. The son of Earle H. Johnson and Lottie Ruth Troutman Johnson of

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropol ...

. He appeared on

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the '' Mode ...

’s ''

Total Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...

'' and ''Voyage to Uranus'' (1974) by ;

Jan Hammer Jan Hammer () (born 17 April 1948) is a Czech-American musician, composer, and record producer. He rose to prominence while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as with his film scores for television an ...

's ''

The First Seven Days ''The First Seven Days'' is an album recorded by jazz musician Jan Hammer in 1975. It features extensive use of synthesizers, including the synthesized "guitar" parts (as on his follow-up album, '' Oh Yeah?''), with the record jacket stating, "Fo ...

'' (1975);

Lenny White Leonard White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". White has won thre ...

's ''Big City'' and

Miroslav Vitouš Miroslav Ladislav Vitouš (born 6 December 1947) is a Czech jazz bassist. He is known as a founding member of the ensemble Weather Report, and for working as a bandleader and alongside Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette and others. Biography E ...

' ''Majesty Music (1977)'';

Jaroslav Jakubovič Jaroslav Jakubovič (born 1948) is a Czech-born Israeli jazz saxophonist, composer and record producer. Biography Born in Czechoslovakia, Jakubovič emigrated to Israel, via Switzerland in 1968, as a result of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechos ...

's ''Checkin' In'', Mark Moogy Klingman's ''Moogy II'', the

Players Association The Players Association was a New York based studio group, put together by drummer/arranger Chris Hills and producer Danny Weiss in 1977 on Vanguard Records. Overview The Players Association recordings brought in leading jazz session musicians ...

's ''Born to Dance'', and Josh White Jr.'s self-titled album (1978). Johnson's solo debut came in 1978 with ''Time Is Free'', recorded for Vanguard Records. His relationship with that label proved short-lived, however, and he began recording albums for other labels in subsequent years before his recording career slowed following his 1983 album, ''The Midweek Blues''.

produced and performed on most of these releases along with John Abercrombie,

Jeremy Steig Jeremy Steig (September 23, 1942 – April 13, 2016)Peter Keepnews, "Jeremy ...

, Col. Bruce Hampton, Allen Sloan,

Dan Wall Daniel Lee Wall, Jr. (born September 7, 1953, Atlanta, Georgia, US) is an American jazz organist and pianist. Wall was leading his own small group at Atlanta club the Carousel while still in high school. He attended the Berklee College of Music, ...

, Billy McPherson (under the pseudonym Ben 'Pops' Thornton), and Gary Campbell. Johnson was against the use of sampling, as Hammer used samples of his rare Nigerian Log Drums on the

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...

soundtrack without his permission. Johnson tried and failed to convince

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...

Local 802 to take up his case. He was married to French artist Evelyne Morisot, with whom he had four children. He died from cancer in 1998.

Discography

As leader

* 1978 ''Time Is Free'' * 1979 ''Skin Deep Yeah!'' * 1980 ''Hip Address'' * 1981 ''Route Two'' * 1983 ''Midweek Blues'' * 1986 ''The Feeling's Mutual'' * 1993 ''White Latening''

As sideman

* Bob Belden Ensemble Straight to My Heart: The Music of Sting (1989) * Blast Blast (1980) * Billy Cobham ''Total Eclipse'' (1974) * Billy Cobham Rudiments: The Billy Cobham... (2001) * Jan Hammer ''Early Years'' (1974), * Jan Hammer ''First Seven Days'' (1975) * Jan Hammer Group ''Oh Yeah?'' (1976) * Col.

Bruce Hampton Bruce Hampton (born Gustav Valentine Berglund III; April 30, 1947 – May 1, 2017) was an American musician. He was a key figure in the Atlanta, Georgia music scene, mentoring numerous other musicians who became national stars. His own musical ...

& The Late Bronze Age '' Outside Looking Out'' (1980) * Jaroslav Jakubovic ''Checkin' In'' (1978) * Elvin Jones - ''The Main Force'' (Vanguard, 1976) * Klemperer/Reiner Gerald McBoing Boing & Others (1990) * Mark Moogy ''Klingman Moogy II'' (1978) * Taj Mahal Like Never Before (1991) * Oregon ''Friends'' (1977) * Oregon ''Essential'' (1987) * Oregon ''Vanguard Sessions: Best of the...'' (2000) * The Players Association ''Born to Dance'' (1978) * Players Association Players Association/Turn the Music (1998) * Sea Level Best of Sea Level (1977) * Sea Level Long Walk on a Short Pier (1979) * Clive Stevens ''Voyage to Uranus'' (1974) * Swamp Dogg Swamp Dogg (Rat On) (1971) * Swamp Dogg Cuffed, Collared and Tagged (1972) * Swamp Dogg Have You Heard This Story? (1974) * George Tandy Urban Jazz (1992) * Nestor Torres Morning Ride (1989) * Miroslav Vitous ''Majesty Music'' (1977) * Josh White, Jr. ''Josh White Jr.'' (1978) * Lenny White ''Big City'' (1977) * John Williams Empire Strikes Back (1980) * Betty Wright Passion & Compassion (1990) * Various Artists Cool Fever (1997) * Various Artists Vanguard Collector's Edition (1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, David Earle 1998 deaths 1938 births American jazz percussionists