BIOGRAPHY
Melody The main idea of the music... the line that you walk away singing F E AT U R E D W O R K
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
John Rosamond Johnson was one of the most successful African American composers of his time. Born in 1873 in Jacksonville, Florida, he left in 1890 to study at the New England Conservatory. He then moved to London to continue his studies for a short period of time, before returning to his hometown of Jacksonville and becoming a public-school teacher. Around the same time, he also formed a songwriting duo with his older brother, poet James Weldon Johnson. In 1900, Johnson moved to New York City to work with his brother and fellow composer Robert Cole. Together, the team worked on a vaudeville show and put together a couple of Broadway operettas, remaining collaborators until Robert Cole’s death in 1911. Johnson continued in show business in various ways for the rest of his life, touring with vaudeville groups, writing songs, performing in shows, and editing music collections. He also worked to teach the next generation, founding the New York Music School Settlement for Colored People, a music school in Harlem.
J
Rosamond
ohnson
BORN: August 11, 1873, Jacksonville, Florida DIED: November 11, 1954, New York City, New York
FUN FACTS • J. Rosamond Johnson arranged over 150 spirituals and over 160 musical theatre songs! • Although famous as a composer and arranger, he was also a talented performer, appearing in multiple Broadway shows during his time in New York. • He was a musical prodigy and was considered to be an accomplished pianist by age four.