- Floyd "Candy" Johnson
Floyd "Candy" Johnson (May 1, 1922, Madison County,
Illinois - June 28, 1981,Framingham, Massachusetts ) was an Americanjazz saxophonist.Johnson played drums from age 13 and picked up saxophone shortly thereafter; he continued to play drums well enough to play as a session drummer professionally. He attended
Wilberforce University , where he played in the bands ofErnie Fields andTiny Bradshaw . He joined up withAndy Kirk 's Twelve Clouds of Joy from 1942 to 1947, then worked briefly withCount Basie before founding his own band, the Peppermint Sticks, inDetroit . Late in the 1950s he did work withBill Doggett .Johnson credited himself as Candy Johnson on many of his early recordings, but in the early 1960s, a dancer named
Candy Johnson released a few hit records, and he returned to Floyd Johnson, in addition to reducing his activity in music. In the 1970s he returned to full-time playing, touring withMilt Buckner in France in 1971, then played inPaul Gonsalves 's place in theDuke Ellington Orchestra when Gonsalves fell ill. He also worked in the NewMcKinney's Cotton Pickers in the 1970s.References
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Eugene Chadbourne , [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3pfwxqljldse~T1 Floyd Johnson] atAllmusic
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