Image Credit: Edward 'Noon' T. Johnson by Crawford, Ralston, 1906-1978, Courtesy Hogan Jazz Archive, Tulane University. Physical rights are retained by the Hogan Jazz Archive.
Edward “Noon” Johnson
1903 – 1968
Banjoist, guitarist, ukulele, tuba, and harmonica player, and inventor of a “bazooka” horn, Edward “Noon” Johnson (1903-1968) began his musical career playing banjo with Kid Rena and Chris Kelly, while working occasionally with the guitarist “Black” Walter Nelson and also with comedian Walter Coquille in the 1920s. In the 1930s he led a trio called Noon Johnson’s Bazooka Band which showcased a home-made instrument constructed from brass tubing from a bed and the horn from a gramophone. As a vocalist, Johnson recorded “Noon’s Blues” with Bunk Johnson in 1945. From the 1940s Johnson also worked with Kid Howard’s Brass Band and the Young Tuxedo Brass Band and later performed at Preservation Hall with various leaders.
