Bunk Johnson

Bunk Johnson
Johnson in 1946
Johnson in 1946
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Gary Johnson
Also known asBunk
Born(1879-12-27)December 27, 1879
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 7, 1949(1949-07-07) (aged 69)
New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S.
GenresJazz
InstrumentTrumpet
Formerly ofBunk Johnson & His New Orleans Jazz Band, George Lewis, Louis Armstrong

Willie Gary "Bunk" Johnson (December 27, 1879 – July 7, 1949)[1] was an American prominent jazz trumpeter in New Orleans. Johnson gave the year of his birth as 1879, although there is speculation that he may have been younger by as much as a decade. Johnson stated on his 1937 application for Social Security that he was born on December 27, 1889.[2] Many jazz historians[who?] believe this date of birth to be the most accurate of the various dates Johnson gave throughout his life.

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1294. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ Tomko, Gene (2020). Encyclopedia of Louisiana Musicians: Jazz, Blues, Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, and Gospel. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-0807169322.