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Fats Waller
Fats Waller
American jazz pianist and composer
1
Neville Dickie
Neville Dickie
British musician
2
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin
American composer, musician, and pianist
3
Marcus Roberts
Marcus Roberts
American musician
4
Harry Gibson
Harry Gibson
American musician
5
Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton
American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader and composer
6
Dick Zimmerman
Dick Zimmerman
American magician
7
Samuel Charters
Samuel Charters
American music historian and musician
8
Ada Brown
Ada Brown
American blues singer
9
Big Joe Turner
Big Joe Turner
American blues shouter
10
J. C. Johnson
J. C. Johnson
American musician
11
Clarence Williams
Clarence Williams
American jazz pianist, composer, promoter, vocalist, theatrical producer, and publisher
12
Mike Lipskin
Mike Lipskin
American musician
13
Cliff Jackson
Cliff Jackson
American pianist
14
Jay McShann
Jay McShann
American blues, jazz, and swing bandleader, pianist and singer
15
Terry Waldo
Terry Waldo
American musician
16
James Booker
James Booker
American musician
17
Eubie Blake
Eubie Blake
Composer, lyricist, and pianist (1887-1983)
18
Ralph Sutton
Ralph Sutton
American pianist
19
Roosevelt Sykes
Roosevelt Sykes
American blues musician
20
Jimmy Yancey
Jimmy Yancey
African American boogie-woogie pianist, composer, and lyricist
21
Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim
American recording artist; blues pianist, singer, and composer
22
Stephanie Trick
Stephanie Trick
American pianist
23
Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson
musician from the USA
24
Victoria Spivey
Victoria Spivey
American blues singer and songwriter
25
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy
American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist
26
George Washington Thomas, Jr.
George Washington Thomas, Jr.
American musician
27
James Scott
James Scott
American ragtime composer
28
Arnold Wiley
Arnold Wiley
American pianist (1898-1964)
29
Jaki Byard
Jaki Byard
American musician
30
Joseph Lamb
Joseph Lamb
American composer of ragtime music
31
Knocky Parker
Knocky Parker
American musician
32
Dave McKenna
Dave McKenna
American musician
33
George Winston
George Winston
American recording artist; pianist
34
Big Mama Thornton
Big Mama Thornton
American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter
35
Bud Powell
Bud Powell
American pianist and composer
36
Claude Hopkins
Claude Hopkins
American pianist
37
Jimmy Blythe
Jimmy Blythe
American jazz and boogie-woogie pianist
38
Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson
American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist, songwriter
39
Art Tatum
Art Tatum
American jazz pianist
40
Phineas Newborn Jr.
Phineas Newborn Jr.
American pianist
41
Noble Sissle
Noble Sissle
African-American jazz musician
42
Dave Bartholomew
Dave Bartholomew
American musician, bandleader, composer, arranger, and record producer
43
Artie Matthews
Artie Matthews
American songwriter, pianist and ragtime composer
44
Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair
African-American blues musician
45
Porter Grainger
Porter Grainger
American musician
46
Willie "The Lion" Smith
Willie "The Lion" Smith
American musician
47
Dave Van Ronk
Dave Van Ronk
American musician
48
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
American jazz musician, composer and band leader
49
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
American jazz pianist and composer
James P. Johnson
American pianist and composer

James P. Johnson

Intro
American pianist and composer
Genres
Record Labels

James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key figures in the evolution of ragtime into what was eventually called jazz. Johnson was a major influence on Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, and Fats Waller, who was his student.

Johnson composed many hit songs, including the unofficial anthem of the Roaring Twenties, "The Charleston," and he remained the acknowledged king of New York jazz pianists through most of the 1930s. Johnson's artistry, influence on early popular music, and contributions to musical theatre are often overlooked, and as such, he has been referred to by musicologist David Schiff as "The Invisible Pianist."