Wilson Daily Times, 2 September 1943.
South Carolina-born Buddy Johnson was a jump blues pianist whose orchestra began touring the South in the early 1940s. Reid Street Community Center was a popular venue on the chitlin circuit.
A fight between band members after a gig in Roanoke Rapids led to the arrest in Wilson of the whole Danny Long orchestra for marijuana possession.
Wilson Daily Times, 14 June 1948.
The next day, band members were freed on bond after a booking agent pointed the finger at his chauffeur as the “real dope peddler.” The band’s “ginger cake” leader, Danny Long, had no comment.
Wilson Daily Times, 15 June 1948.
Clippings courtesy of J. Robert Boykin III.