Hall Johnson: Violinist, Composer & Musical Director in New York and Hollywood

Hall Johnson was a violinist, composer, and musical director.

Johnson was the founder of an acclaimed black choir that set the standard for the performance of African American spirituals.

Athens was home to a large, prosperous African American middle class, with excellent schools, and Johnson did well.

Johnson gained a reputation as an excellent music teacher, and played violin in the orchestras of several Broadway productions, performing behind great entertainers such as Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, and Josephine Baker.

Johnson produced his own Broadway musical in 1933, Run Little Chillun, a production he called a folk opera.