[Dixielandjazz] Reply to Bill Haesler about JR johnson

[Audrey Van Dyke]

I got an odd message from the DJML saying that most of my earlier 
message was not processed. So will send one more time. Audrey

Hi Bill. I looked through all the old ragtime folios I have from the 
era, and couldn't find any version of the Entertainer with a reference 
to J. Rosamond johnson, although there was a version of the Maple Leaf 
Rag in one early folio that included words, the version people now call 
the rap version.  It was titled Go Way Man, and has a credit for the 
words, as well as Joplin for the music.

I can only provide general info about JR Johnson from what I've come 
across as a collector.  He was quite prolific during the 'aught years, 
doing early Black shows (most often as Cole and Johnson) as well as some 
pop tunes.  Will Handy, composer of Oh Didn't He Ramble is a pseudonym 
for Cole and Johnson.  If I had to take a wild guess as to whether JR 
Johnson wrote lyrics to The Entertainer, or did an arrangement of it at 
some point, I would guess the latter.  This is mainly because he usually 
was credited as the composer, not the lyricist, in the Cole and Johnson 
collaborations.  This is all guessing though, which might be fun but 
isn't terribly useful.  Next time I get down to Library of Congress I'll 
try to check it out.

A package has been winging its way to you for the past several weeks and 
should arrive soon.
Audrey