Chaino (Musician) | |
|---|---|
 Chaino, Jungle Mating Rhythms (1958) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leon Johnson |
| Born | 1927 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | July 8, 1999 Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | Exotica |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Painter, jeweler and sculpture |
| Instrument | Bongos |
| Years active | 1947-1999 |
| Labels | Spectre, Verve Records, Tampa Records, SLP 4027, Dot Records, Bacchus Archives, Empire Recording Co, Alphatape |
Leon "Chaino" Johnson (1927 – July 8, 1999, pronounced: "Cha-ee-no"), the self-styled "percussion genius of Africa,"[1] was an American bongo player. After touring for several years on the Chitlin' Circuit, he released several albums and became popular with listeners of exotica music in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In the promotion of his albums, a fictional biography was developed, depicting Chaino as an orphan from a lost tribe in central Africa who had been rescued by a missionary after his tribe had been massacred. Chaino was actually born in Philadelphia and raised in Chicago.