Dick Johnson, 2005 June 30
Interview Summary
Dick Johnson, jazz clarinetist, shares stories from his sixty-year career, including his experience with the Navy Band in World War Two, performing in Brockton and the greater Boston area, and his years touring with big bands, including the Artie Shaw Orchestra. Johnson pays tribute to Artie Shaw’s influence, discusses his longtime collaborator and bandmate Lou Columbo, and talks about various recording projects and memorable performances. He briefly describes his early training by Norman Carrel and his two years teaching at Berklee School of music in 1959 and 1960.
Dates
- Creation: 2005 June 30
Creator
- From the Collection: Berklee College of Music (Organization)
- From the Collection: Bouchard, Fred (Jazz writer) (Interviewer, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Access to this collection is provided online here. See individual interview records for direct links to streaming video.
Biographical / Historical
Jazz clarinetist Dick Johnson (1925-2010) was born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts. His first professional music job was playing with the U.S. Navy Band from 1944 to 1946, after which Johnson toured with Charlie Spivak and Buddy Morrow. He studied clarinet with Norman Carrel of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and briefly attended the New England Conservatory. Johnson played in multiple venues across the Boston club scene, including the Savoy, Izzy Ort’s, the Mardi Gras, and the Stable, where he played with the Herb Pomeroy Orchestra. He taught at Berklee School (later College) of Music in 1959 and 1960, leading big bands and ensembles, saxophone, and improvisation classes, and appearing on several recordings from Berklee’s Jazz in the Classroom series. Johnson formed the band Swing Shift in 1979 and also served as frontman for the Artie Shaw Orchestra for over twenty years starting in 1983.
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the Berklee Archives Repository