James Price Johnson (February 1 1894–November 17 1955) was an African-American pianist and composer. With Luckey Roberts, Johnson was one of the originators of the stride style of jazz piano playing. Johnson was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His family moved to New York City in 1908. His first professional engagement was at Coney Island in 1912. In 1911, while he was "still going to school in short pants", he attended Jelly Roll Morton's performance in Harlem and was inspired by the blues. Beside being a jazz piano pioneer, and a most spontaneously inventive performer, Johnson penned hit tunes: "Charleston" (which debuted in his Broadway show Runnin' Wild in 1923, although by some accounts Johnson had written it years earlier) became one of the most popular tunes and arguably the definitive dance number of the Roaring 1920s. Others are "If I Could Be With You ," "You've Got to Be Modernistic," "Keep off the Grass," "Old Fashi

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