James "Osie" Johnson (January 11, 1923, in Washington, D.C. – February 10, 1966, in New York City) was a jazz drummer, arranger and singer.
Johnson studied at Armstrong Highschool where he was classmates with Leo Parker and Frank Wess. He first worked with Sabby Lewis and then, after service in the United States Navy, freelanced for a time in Chicago. From 1951 to 1953, he was a member of Earl Hines's band.
He can be heard on albums by Paul Gonsalves, Zoot Sims, and Mose Allison and is the drummer on Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife". (Some sources list Don Lamond as the drummer on "Mack the Knife") and on Ray Conniff's first album 'S Wonderful!. He recorded the album A Bit of the Blues as a singer and had arranged at a "hit" for singer Dinah Washington. His final recordings as a singer were on a J. J. Johnson album, now compiled as a collection called Goodies.
In 1957, Johnson appeared with Thelonious Monk and Ahmed Abdul-Malik on The Sound of Jazz.
Johnson died from kidney failure in 1966, at the age of 43.
Discography
As leader
1955: Johnson's Whacks
1955: Osie's Oasis with Henry Coker, Charlie Fowlkes, Milt Hinton, Bill Hughes, Thad Jones, Dick Katz, Wendell Marshall, Frank Wess, Ernie Wilkins 1955: Swingin' Sounds 1957: The Happy Jazz of Osie Johnson (Bethlehem)
As sideman
With Bob Brookmeyer
Brookmeyer (Vik, 1956) Jazz Concerto Grosso with Gerry Mulligan and Phil Sunkel (ABC-Paramount, 1957) The Street Swingers with Jim Hall and Jimmy Raney (World Pacific, 1957) Kansas City Revisited (United Artists, 1958)
With Jimmy Cleveland
Introducing Jimmy Cleveland and His All Stars (EmArcy, 1955) Rhythm Crazy (EmArcy, 1959 [1964])
With Al Cohn
Mr. Music (RCA Victor, 1955) The Natural Seven (RCA Victor, 1955) That Old Feeling (RCA Victor, 1955) Four Brass One Tenor (RCA Victor, 1955) From A to...Z (RCA Victor, 1956) with Zoot Sims The Sax Section (Epic, 1956) Cohn on the Saxophone (Dawn, 1956)
With Coleman Hawkins
Accent on Tenor Sax (Urania, 1955) The Hawk in Hi Fi (RCA Victor, 1956) The Hawk in Paris (Vik, 1956) Soul (Prestige, 1958) Hawk Eyes (Prestige, 1959) Coleman Hawkins All Stars with Joe Thomas and Vic Dickenson (Swingville, 1960) At Ease with Coleman Hawkins (Moodsville, 1960) Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra (Crown, 1960) The Hawk Swings (Crown, 1960)
With Johnny Hodges
Sandy's Gone (Verve, 1963) Blue Rabbit (Verve, 1964) Con-Soul & Sax with Wild Bill Davis (RCA Victor, 1965)
With Hank Jones
The Talented Touch (Capitol, 1958) This Is Ragtime Now! (ABC-Paramount, 1964)
With Quincy Jones
The Birth of a Band! (Mercury, 1959) Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini (Mercury, 1964)
With Howard McGhee
Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries (Bethlehem, 1956) Music from the Connection (Felsted, 1960)
With Joe Newman
New Sounds in Swing with Billy Byers (Jazztone, 1956) I Feel Like a Newman (Storyville, 1956) The Midgets (Vik, 1956) Locking Horns (Rama, 1957) with Zoot Sims
With Oscar Pettiford
Basically Duke (Bethlehem, 1954) Another One (Bethlehem, 1955) The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi (ABC-Paramount, 1956)
With Jimmy Raney
Jimmy Raney featuring Bob Brookmeyer (ABC-Paramount, 1956) with Bob Brookmeyer
Two Jims and Zoot (Mainstream, 1964) with Jim Hall and Zoot Sims
With Ben Webster
Music with Feeling (Norgran, 1955) See You at the Fair (Impulse!, 1964)