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Obituary: Joseph “Smokey” Johnson

October 28, 2015 by: Geraldine Wyckoff

Joseph “Smokey” Johnson, a master of jazz, an originator of funk and an influential force in rhythm and blues, died on Tuesday, October 6, 2015. He was 78.

“If there is any one drummer active on the scene who epitomizes New Orleans, drummer Smokey Johnson is that drummer,” wrote Kalamu ya Salaam in the liner notes for 1988’s

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Joseph "Smokey" JohnsonSmokey johnson

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