| Edith North Johnson | |
| Birth Name: | Edith North |
| Alias: | Hattie North, Maybelle Allen |
| Birth Date: | January 2, 1903 |
| Birth Place: | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Death Place: | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Instrument: | Vocals, piano |
| Genre: | Classic female blues |
| Occupation: | Singer, pianist, songwriter |
| Years Active: | 1920s - 1960s |
| Label: | QRS, Paramount, Folkways |
Edith North Johnson (January 2, 1903 – February 28, 1988)[1] was an American classic female blues singer, pianist and songwriter.[2] Her most noted tracks are "Honey Dripper Blues", "Can't Make Another Day" and "Eight Hour Woman".[1] She wrote another of her songs, "Nickel's Worth of Liver Blues".
She was born Edith North in 1903. She married Jesse Johnson, a St. Louis record producer.[2] [3] She originally worked at her husband's Deluxe Music Store as a saleswoman.[4] Although not a professional singer, Johnson recorded eighteen sides in 1928 and 1929. She started on QRS Records in 1928. She then switched to Paramount, recording at a session in Grafton, Wisconsin, attended by Charley Patton.[5] It is reckoned that Patton did not play on any of her recordings.[2]
Using pseudonyms such as Hattie North (on Vocalion)[6] and Maybelle Allen, Johnson also recorded other tracks for small labels.[2] Under the name Hattie North, she recorded "Lovin' That Man Blues" with Count Basie.[7]
During World War II, Johnson managed a taxicab operation in St. Louis. She ran Johnson's Deluxe Cafė, after her husband's death in 1946.[2] [3] Samuel Charters located her in 1961 and recorded her, accompanied by Henry Brown, for the anthology album The Blues in St. Louis, released by Folkways Records.[2]
Her recording of "Honey Dripper Blues" was the inspiration for the nickname used by Roosevelt Sykes.[8] [9]
In her later life, Johnson spent time undertaking social work in her hometown.[10] She died in St. Louis in February 1988, at the age of 85.[1]
Four of her recordings are included in the boxed set (2001).[11]