Money Johnson

A journeyman player, Cash Johnson was among the stars using the last edition of Duke Ellington’s Orchestra in the first 1970s. He started playing trumpet when he was 15, caused Eddie & Sugars Lou’s Resort Tyler Orchestra and his cousin, saxophonist Crimson Calhoun, and performed in Oklahoma Town (where he fulfilled up with Charlie Christian) in 1936. The trumpeter spent an extended period with Nat Towles’ Orchestra (1937-1942) including remaining over when the music group was bought out by Horace Henderson (1942-1944). Johnson transferred up to the big leagues when he became a member of Count number Basie’s Orchestra in 1944, but popularity eluded him despite stints with Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, and Sy Oliver. Among his afterwards jobs were intervals with Panama Francis, Louis Jordan, Lucky Thompson, Pal Johnson, and Cozy Cole in the ’50s, Reuben Phillips in the first ’60s, and Earl Hines (1966-1968). His highest profile gig was when he was an associate of Ellington’s Orchestra (on / off between 1969-1974) where he was well highlighted. Cash Johnson participated in another of the Buck Clayton documented jam periods in 1975 and was energetic up until the night time before his loss of life from a coronary attack.