![Smokey J Smokey J](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44e55573-67e2-4947-b396-92b7ccc1d63c_189x189.jpeg)
Joseph “Smokey” Johnson has died, a month shy of his 79th birthday. He was one of the great New Orleans drummers, known for his work with Earl King and Fats Domino, known for his deep groove – a guy who became a huge influence on the Motown sound too. Johnson was trained on trombone before switching to drums as a teenager and taking up with dance club b…
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