Alonzo (Pookie) Johnson

(Oct. 5, 1927-Sept. 3, 2005). Alonzo Ernest Johnson, known as “Pookie,” was born in Indianapolis. He grew up downtown, attending Indianapolis Public Schools no. 37, no. 26, and Crispus Attucks High School. He went on to study his passion, music, at Butler University’s Jordan School of Music. Although he was able to play most wind instruments, the saxophone was his instrument of choice.

On March 9, 1945, Johnson married his middle school sweetheart, Bettie Blakemore. Shortly after his marriage, he was drafted into the Air Force, where he maintained his passion for music by playing in the special service band. By 1947, Johnson was back in Indianapolis. He soon began touring with various jazz bands throughout the country, as well as playing in all the clubs along Indiana Avenue. He played alongside musicians like jazz trumpeter King Kolax, drummer Eddie Byrd, and multi-instrumentalist Sax Kari.

By the 1950s, Johnson was appearing almost nightly with jazz guitar virtuoso Wes Montgomery and jazz bassist William Howard (Monk) Montgomery at the Turf Bar in Indianapolis. The Montgomery Brothers wanted Johnson to join them in California, but he turned down this chance for greater fame to stay in Indianapolis with his family. Johnson took a job as a postal worker in 1956, retiring in the 1980s. Not giving up music completely, he continued to play jazz on nights and weekends.

Over his 60-year music career, Johnson appeared at clubs all over Indianapolis such as Henri’s Bar, the Hub Bub, Ritz’s Lounge, the Jazz Kitchen, and the Chatterbox. He also played at numerous events and festivals like the Children’s Museum of Arts Centennial Celebration, Cathedral Art’s Midsummer Festival, the Indiana State Park’s Jazz series, the Black Legends Awards, and the Penrod Art Festival.

Johnson served as a bandleader for various groups like The Wee Dots, The Pookie Johnson Quartet, and the Indy Jazz Company. He performed with several big-name jazz musicians including the Hampton Sisters, J. J. Johnson, Benny Barth, Freddie Hubbard, Billy Wooten, and the Jimmy Coe Band among others.

Johnson’s discography is extensive. He was featured in Three Brothers and Five Others (1958), produced by Buddy Montgomery, the younger brother of Wes and Monk. He also can be heard in noted Indianapolis jazz musician Russell Webster’s Together Again (1983), and Jimmy Coe’s Say What (1994). In 2003, he recorded his own album, Legacy, which featured his sons Eric, Kevin, and Byron.

Integral to the Indianapolis jazz scene, Johnson received many honors throughout his life. In 1985, Senator Richard Lugar enshrined him as a “Living Legend of Jazz” in the Hall of Records of the Library of Congress. The key to the city was presented to him in 1991. Three honors were bestowed on Johnson in 1996: “Pookie” Johnson day was proclaimed on August 24, 1996; he was presented the Sagamore of the Wabash; and the Links paid homage to him during African American Jazz Artist Tribute.

Outside of work as a musician, Johnson was deeply involved in his community. He spent six years as a leader in the Boy Scouts of America, two years as a Cub Scout Leader and four years as a Scout Master. He served as president of the Rosecrest Neighborhood Association as well as the Indy Jazz Connection. Through a program created by the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation and the Indianapolis Public Schools, Johnson spent Saturday mornings teaching children music.

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