Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/ Ken "Snakehips" Johnson
Ken "Snakehips" Johnson[edit]
Ken "Snakehips" Johnson was a swing band leader and leading figure in black British music of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in British Guiana, he was educated in Britain and travelled to New York to immerse himself in the Harlem jazz scene. He returned to Britain and established the Aristocrats (or Emperors) of Jazz, a mainly black swing band, with Leslie Thompson. In 1937 Johnson took control of the band through a legal loophole, causing the departure of Thompson and several musicians. Johnson filled the vacancies with Caribbean musicians, the band's popularity grew, and it changed its name to the West Indian Dance Orchestra. In 1938 the band broadcast on BBC Radio, recorded their first discs and appeared in an early television broadcast. Johnson was considered a pioneer for black musical leaders in the UK. Employed as the house band at the Café de Paris, a German bombing raid in 1941 hit the facility, killing Johnson. (Full article...)
- Most recent similar article(s): Jacques Offenbach on July 15 might be similar, as they are musical biographies of people who organised musical acts.
- Main editors: SchroCat
- Promoted: March 23, 2023
- Reasons for nomination: 110th birthday
- Support as nominator. Z1720 (talk) 17:21, 25 June 2024 (UTC)
- Support A nice change from recent pop culture pages. Harizotoh9 (talk) 14:43, 26 June 2024 (UTC)