Woodrow Wilson “Buddy” Johnson, a renown jazz and New York blues musician, was born in Darlington, SC, on January 10, 1915. A pianist and bandleader, Buddy performed songs with his sister Ella Johnson. Among his songs that went into the R&B and pop charts were “Let’s Beat Out Some Love,” “Baby Don’t You Cry,” and, his biggest hit which went all the way to #1 in 1944, “When My Man Comes Home.” In 1948, Johnson performed at Carnegie Hall, where he played an original blues concerto. Buddy Johnson died on February 9, 1977, of a brain tumor. He is a member of the South Carolina Hall of Fame.
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