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Jai Johanny Johanson | |
|---|---|
 Jaimoe performing with The Allman Brothers Band in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Lee Johnson |
| Also known as |
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| Born | July 8, 1944 Ocean Springs, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Jaimoe's Jasssz Band |
| Formerly of | The Allman Brothers Band, Sea Level, Les Brers |
John Lee Johnson (born July 8, 1944), frequently known by the stage names Jai Johanny Johanson and Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist.[1][2] He is best known as one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band and, with the death of Dickey Betts on April 18, 2024, he is the last surviving original member of the band.
Johanson played with a number of Muscle Shoals and Memphis soul acts in the early-to-mid 1960s, such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, as a session and touring drummer. While recording and touring he would meet the various members of what would become the Allman Brothers Band. One of the few bands at the time to employ two drummers, alongside Butch Trucks, they drew on R&B, blues, jazz, country, and rock to create a unique variety of southern rock. Upon the death of founding bassist Berry Oakley in 1972, Johanson brought in frequent collaborator Lamar Williams to replace him.
While on hiatus from the Allman Brothers Band in the late 1970s, he formed the band Sea Level around a core of former Allman Brothers Band members including Williams and pianist/vocalist Chuck Leavell. He briefly rejoined the Allman Brothers in 1979, but left again in 1980 due to back problems, and spent much of the 1980s playing in local Macon, Georgia-area bands. He rejoined the Allman Brothers Band in 1989, as the band transitioned from a southern rock sound to a more jam band feel, having added a third drummer/percussionist Marc Quiñones. The band continued to perform until formally retiring in 2014.
Johanson has since fronted his own jazz outfit, Jaimoe's Jasssz Band, and appeared with former Allman Brothers Band members for one-off reunions and in a number of different side projects. Along with the other members of the Allman Brothers Band, Johanson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
- ^ "Allman Brothers Drummer Jaimoe Remembers Gregg Allman". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. June 2, 2017. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "Founding Allman Brothers Drummer Jai Johanny Johanson AKA Jaimoe Turns 74". drummagazine.com. DRUM!. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.