August 6, 1909 – April 1, 1989
Lem Johnson was born in Oklahoma City, OK. Not much is reported about his early life, but we know he played clarinet and saxophone and was a vocalist. In the late 1920s, Lem played saxophone with Walter Page’s Blue Devils, a jazz band from Kansas City. In the early 30’s he worked in the Milwaukee area, then moved to New York City in the mid 1930s where he worked with Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five.
In 1939, he joined Skeets Tolbert and his Gentlemen of Swing, where he began his vocalist work. He was the first to cover the record “Going Down Slow” by St. Louis Jimmy Oden in 1942. He continued to play in a few different jazz and blues bands throughout the 40s and 50s, including Sam Price and the Texan Bluesicians, the Lil Green Orchestra, and the Johnny Long Orchestra.
He semi-retired in the 50’s and occasionally played in the 60’s. He died in New York City.