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Artist
Eddie Johnson
12+ albums
about
Chicago has lost another tenor sax great. Eddie Johnson was eighty-nine and joins Chicago’s pantheon of tenor jazz masters: Gene Ammons, Johnny Griffin, Eddie Harris, Clifford Jordan. Eddie died on April 7, 2010. He played up until 2004, when his sweet swinging horn gave way to emphysema. Like many Chicago jazzicians, Eddie chose family over the perils of road life and fame. He had an offer to join Duke Ellington’s band in the Forties, but went with the more lucrative jump blues gig with Louis Jordan. Over the years, Eddie performed with Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter and Cootie Williams, among others. But between family demands, a bout of tuberculosis that took half a lung, and head-butting with the local musician’s union, Eddie transitioned out of clubs and into a steady job as the city’s Chief Systems Engineer (Post Office). User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
