Johnny Williams
John Francis Williams (né Nagle; November 15, 1905 – October 19, 1985) was an American percussionist from the early 1930s to the late 1950s. In New York and Hollywood, he worked on radio, in films, and as a recording artist. He was the father of film composer and conductor John Williams. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Watertown (city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States), Died October 19, 1985 (Los Angeles (seat of Los Angeles County, and largest city in California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1937 - 1953
Roles Represented in DAHR: string bass, drums, traps, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 62 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-07785 | 10-in. | 4/13/1937 | Carelessly | Kay Thompson Orchestra ; Rhythm Singers | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, traps | |
| Victor | BS-07786 | 10-in. | 4/13/1937 | There's a lull in my life | Kay Thompson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, traps | |
| Victor | BS-07787 | 10-in. | 4/13/1937 | It had to be you | Kay Thompson Orchestra ; Rhythm Singers | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and female vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, traps | |
| Victor | BS-07788 | 10-in. | 4/13/1937 | Exactly like you | Kay Thompson Orchestra ; Rhythm Singers | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and male vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, traps | |
| Victor | BS-046156 | 10-in. | 1/3/1940 | When day is done | Coleman Hawkins' All-Star Octet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | BS-046157 | 10-in. | 1/3/1940 | The sheik of Araby | Coleman Hawkins' All-Star Octet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | BS-046158 | 10-in. | 1/3/1940 | My blue heaven | Coleman Hawkins' All-Star Octet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | BS-046159 | 10-in. | 1/3/1940 | Bouncing with Bean | Coleman Hawkins' All-Star Octet | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 24207 | 10-in. | 3/9/1939 | Back water blues | Jimmy Johnson Orchestra ; Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 24208 | 10-in. | 3/9/1939 | He's mine, all mine | Jimmy Johnson Orchestra ; Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Columbia | 24780 | 10-in. | 6/16/1939 | Hungry blues | Jimmy Johnson Orchestra ; Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Brunswick | B24060 | 10-in. | 2/1/1939 | Boo-woo | Boogie Woogie Trio ; Harry James | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Brunswick | B24061 | 10-in. | 2/1/1939 | Woo-woo | Boogie Woogie Trio ; Harry James | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Brunswick | B24062 | 10-in. | 2/1/1939 | Home James | Boogie Woogie Trio ; Harry James | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Brunswick | B24063 | 10-in. | 2/1/1939 | Jessee | Boogie Woogie Trio ; Harry James | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Decca | 68796 | 10-in. | 3/10/1941 | Everything's been done before | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 68797 | 10-in. | 3/10/1941 | I cover the waterfront | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 68798 | 10-in. | 3/10/1941 | In the gloaming | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 68799 | 10-in. | 3/10/1941 | Long, long ago | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 68997 | 10-in. | 4/11/1941 | Hey lawdy Mama | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 68998 | 10-in. | 4/11/1941 | I'll get mine bye and bye | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 68999 | 10-in. | 4/11/1941 | (Now) Do you call that a buddy? | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 69000 | 10-in. | 4/11/1941 | Yes Suh! | Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 73128 | 10-in. | 11/14/1945 | I left a good deal in Mobile | Josh White | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 73129 | 10-in. | 11/14/1945 | Did you ever leave a woman? | Josh White | instrumentalist, string bass |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Williams, Johnny," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/115064.
Williams, Johnny. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/115064.
"Williams, Johnny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Johnny Williams (drummer)
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Williams, Johnny, 1905-1984 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2009164047
Wikidata: Johnny Williams (drummer) - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q6267912
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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