Otis Johnson

Who was Otis Johnson?

Otis Johnson was an American jazz trumpeter.

Johnson began his career in the late 1920s, working with Gene Rodgers, Henri Saparo, Eugene Kennedy, and Charlie Skeete. In 1929 he joined Luis Russell's band, and rejoined Kennedy's group before working with Benny Carter in 1934. He played with Charlie Turner and Willie Bryant in the mid-1930s, then with Louis Armstrong and Don Redman toward the end of the decade.

Johnson was a National Guard member and was stationed in Colorado Springs during World War II. He never returned to active performance after the war ended.