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The Johnson Boys
Composer: Traditional

The Johnson Boys was performed by Jerry Garcia with the in 1963. On the recording of the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers performance before this song Garcia says that they stole their songs from the Ramblers who had stolen the songs from the old hill musicians. The Ramblers are New Lost City Ramblers. The lyrics used by the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers nearly exactly match those in the New Lost City Ramblers Songbook.

The Johnson Boys occurs with a wide variety of lyrics. Many variations of the song make fun of the Johnson boys but in the New Lost City Ramblers version they are praised for their various attributes.

The song varies so much that a number of separate versions could probably be identified as distinct songs. However in the list of recordings below all variations are lumped together. The title used also varies. John Boys is the commonest but it also occurs as The Legend Of The Johnson Boys and Meet The Johnson Boys



Jerry Garcia

info Before The Dead, Jerry Garcia, 2018

Other recordings

no info 10" (Whoa, Mule / Johnson Boys), Al Hopkins And His Buckle Busters, 1928
no info 10" (Goodbye, My Honey - I'm Gone / Johnson Boys), The Grant Brothers & Their Music, 1928/9?
no info Sings Traditional Folk Songs And Ballads, Robin Roberts, 1956
info Instrumental Music Of The Southern Appalachians, Various Artists (Boone Reid), 1957
no info Shanty Boys, Shanty Boys, 1958
no info Our Singing Heritage Volume III, Frank Warner, 1958
no info American Traditional Folk Songs, Frank Warner, 1958
no info American Song Train Volume One, Alan Lomax / Peggy Seeger / Guy Carawan / John Cole / Sammy Stokes, 1958
no info Folk-Song Saturday Night, Alan Lomax / Peggy Seeger / Guy Carawan / John Cole, 1959
no info The Weavers At Home, The Weavers, 1959
no info Folk Sampler 5, Various Artists (Shanty Boys), 1959
info The New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 3, The New Lost City Ramblers, 1961
no info The Best Of Guy Carawan, 1961
no info Single (Possum Holler Breakdown / Johnson Boys), Possum Holler Boys, 1961
info Sings Folk Songs, Frank Proffitt, 1962
info Folk Songs of Our Land, Flatt & Scruggs, 1962
no info Single (Hear The Whistle Blow A Hundred Miles / The Legend Of The Johnson Boys), Flatt & Scruggs, 1962
no info Single (Island Of Dreams / The Johnson Boys), The Springfields, 1962
no info Folk Song And Minstrelsy, Various Artists (The Weavers), 1962
no info American Folksay Ballads And Dances Volume V & VI, Various Artists (Hally Wood), 1962
info Traditional Music from Grayson and Carroll Counties, Virginia, Various Artists (Glen Smith), 1962
no info Singin' And Pickin', The Johnson Boys, 1963
info The Springfields' Story, The Springfields, 1964
info 5-String Banjo Greats, Various Artists (David Lindley), 1964
no info Traditional Music Of Beech Mountain, NC, Vol II, Buna Hicks, 1965
no info Way Down Town, Malcolm Price Trio + 1, 1965
info The Flat-Picker's Guitar Guide: An Advanced Instruction Record, Jerry Silverman, 1966
no info The Asch Recordings, Vol. 2: 1939 to 1945, Various Artists (Frank Warner, Pete Seeger and Bess Lomax Hawes), 1967
no info Comin' Round The Mountain: Old Time Southern Singing And Playing In Western Washington, Various Artists (Henry Vanoy), 1969
no info Foggy Mountain Chimes, Flatt & Scruggs, 1970
info Anthology Of The Banjo, Various Artists (David Lindley), 1970
no info The Scruggs Brothers, Gary & Randy Scruggs, 1972
no info The Tenneva Ramblers, The Tenneva Ramblers, 1972
no info Early Sounds Of The Mountain Banjo, Howard Wallace, 1973
no info An Old Time Southern Mountain String Band, Iron Mountain String Band, 1973
no info Banjo Bounce, Pete Stanley & Roger Knowles, 1973
no info Snake Baked A Hoecake, Jody Stecher and Friends, 1974
no info Bluegrass Express, The Orange Blossom Bluegrass, 1974
no info Lazy Farmer, Lazy Farmer, 1975
info The Very Best of Country Banjo, Various Artists (David Lindley), 1975
info The Banjo: A Collector's Treasury, Various Artists (David Lindley), 1975
no info Clawhammer Banjo, Vol. 3, Various Artists (Wade Ward), 1978
no info Born To Be Lonesome, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, 1979
no info Family Album, Grandpa Jones, 1979
no info Call Me Long Gone, Dave Evans And River Bend, 1980
no info Bluegrass Seed, Tri-State Bluegrass Express, 1980?
no info Single (The Fox Chase / The Johnson Boys), Curtis Noe And His Harmonica, 1981
no info The Stars Of Bluegrass Music, Various Artists (Lester Flatt & The Nashville Grass), 1982
no info Clawhammer Banjo, David Johnson, 1983
no info It was good for my old mother..., The Famous Potatoes, 1985
no info Tom Dooley, Frank Profitt, Vol. 1, Frank Profitt, 1988
no info J.E. Mainer and The Mountaineers, Vol. 20 Old Time Favorites, J.E. Mainer and The Mountaineers, 1988
no info Greatest Stars Of Bluegrass, Various Artists, 1989
no info For No Good Reason At All, Hesperus, 1991
no info The Legends Of Bluegrass Volume 4, Various Artists (Lester Flatt & The Nashville Grass), 1991
info 1959-1963, Flatt and Scruggs, 1992
no info Music From The Mountain, Iron Mountain String Band, 1992
no info Kickin' Up Dust, Frank Proffitt, Jr., 1992
no info Southern Soldier Boy, Wayne Erbsen, 1992
no info Seedtime On The Cumberland Sampler 1990-91, Various Artists (The Whitetop Mountain Band), 1992
info Feuding Banjos, Various Artists (David Lindley), 1992
no info Rural String Bands Of Virginia, Various Artists (Grant Brothers), 1993
no info Masters Of The Banjo, Various Artists (Carroll Best), 1994
info Best of Bluegrass: 18 Banjo Favorites, Various Artists (David Lindley), 1995
info Where'd You Come From Where'd You Go?, The Freight Hoppers, 1996
no info The Fruits Of Intemperance, The Johnson Boys, 1996
info Banjo Jamboree, Various Artists (David Lindley), 1996
info Over the Hills and Far Away, The Springfields, 1997
info 'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered: The Essential Flatt & Scruggs, Flatt and Scruggs, 1997
no info Rural String Bands of Tennessee, Various Artists (Grant Brothers), 1997
no info Billy In The Lowgrounds: Newport Folk Festival, 1966, Various Artists (Coon Creek Girls), 1997
no info Hats Off: A Tribute to Flatt and Scruggs, Various Artists (Grandpa Jones), 1997
info Banjo Festival, Various Artists (David Lindley), 1997
no info American Beauty, Nashville Bluegrass Band, 1998
no info Ain't No Grave, Kate Lissauer, 1998
no info 20 Old-Time Favorites, J.E. Mainer & The Mountaineers, 1998
no info Say Old Man, Can You Play the Banjo?, Carroll Best, 1999
no info Vintage Banjo, Mary Z. Cox, 1999
no info Dolor Ipse, Ben Paley / Tab Hunter, 1999
info Patchwork, Hesperus, 2000
no info The Warner Collection, Vol. 1: Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still, Various Artists (Frank Proffitt), 2000
no info 2001, An Old Time Odyssey, Wolfe Bros., 2001
no info Lissenup!, The Wilders, 2001
no info Travelin' Shoes, Gail Gillespie And Friends, 2001
no info Appalachian Breakdown, Various Artists (Mr Boone Reid), 2001
info Mountain Breakdown: The Bluegrass Collection, Various Artists (David Lindley), 2002
no info The Best Of The Bluegrass Tradition, Various Artists (David Lindley), 2002
no info The Essential Bluegrass Collection, Various Artists (Lester Flatt & The Nashville Grass), 2002
info Going to the West, Ed Littlefield, Jr., 2003
no info Twango Bango III, David Lindley & Wally Ingram, 2003
no info Rarities From The Vanguard Vault, The Weavers, 2003
no info The Essential, Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass, 2003
no info Etta Baker With Taj Mahal, Etta Baker With Taj Mahal, 2004
no info Lonesome Highway, Josh Williams, 2004
no info Clawhammer Banjo, Vol. Three, Various Artists (Wade Ward), 2004
no info Won't You Come Out Tonight?, Buffalo Gals, 2005
info Feuding Banjos: Revenge of the Citybillys, Various Artists (David Lindley), 2005
info Traditional Banjo Music of the Ozarks, Various Artists (David Lindley), 2005
info Bluegrass Banjo, Various Artists (David Lindley), 2005
no info Live From Jerusalem Ridge, Phillip Steinmetz & His Sunny Tennesseans, 2006
info Blockbuster Bluegrass, Various Artists (Trey Hensley), 2006
info Feuding Banjos: Bluegrass Banjo Of The Southern Mountains, Various Artists (David Lindley), 2006
info Classic Old-Time Fiddle from Smithsonian Folkways, Various Artists (Caleb Finch), 2007
info Return to Possum Holler, Dallas Smith & The Boys From Shiloh, 2008
no info Never Seen The Like, Rafe Stefanini & Clelia Stefanini, 2008
info Mountain Frolic: Rare Old Timey Classics 1924-37, Various Artists (Al Hopkins and his Buckle Busters), 2008
no info The Best Of The Vetco Years, Dave Evans And River Bend, 2008
no info Banjo, Etta Baker, 2009
no info Drunken Barrel House Blues, Eden & John's East River String Band, 2009
no info Albert Hash, Albert Hash, 2009
no info Vol. One, The Hogslop String Band, 2009
no info Banjo Lessons On Kyle's Back Porch, Kyle Creed, 2009
no info Live from Mandolin Farm, Phillip Steinmetz & His Sunny Tennesseans, 2009
info Folk Songs of Our Land/Fabulous Sounds of..., Flatt & Scruggs, 2009
no info Purely... Bluegrass, Various Artists (David Lindley), 2010
no info Live At Preservation Pub, Band Of Drifters, 2011
no info Farewell To The Historic Southgate House, The Tillers, 2012
no info Banjo Classics From the Vaults of County Records And Old Blue Records, Various Artist (Wade Ward), 2012
no info Sharp's Appalachian Harvest, Brian Peters and Jeff Davis, 2013
no info Six Classic Albums, The Weavers, 2013
no info Home Recordings Vol. 1, The Down Hill Strugglers, 2013
no info 1962 British Hit Parade: The B Sides, Various Artists (Springfields), 2013
no info Classic Banjo: From Smithsonian Folkways, Various Artists (Frank Proffitt), 2013
no info The Early Years, Dusty Springfield, 2014
no info Seven Classic Albums Plus Bonus Singles, Flatt & Scruggs, 2014
no info Little More Good Ol' Fashioned Clawhammer Banjo, Bobby Langdon, 2014
no info Six Classic Albums, The New Lost City Ramblers, 2014
no info Albert Hash Vol 2, Albert Hash, 2015
no info Legends Of Old-Time Music: Fifty Years Of County Records, Various Artists (Lily May Ledford), 2015

 
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