Arthur Johnson - RIP

Arthur Johnson - The Master Sherb

Arthur Johnson, quietly passed away Sunday, January 9, 2011.

Arthur was well known around Chester and within the music circles as one of the very best drummers and percussionist Chester has ever produced. 

From parents who immigrated from Nassau Bahamas, Arthur found his beat very early as he played on buckets and trash cans as an early teen. His father, tired of him hogging the trash cans, enrolled him at Caruso’s for drum lessons.

It wasn’t long before Arthur was playing for Chester’s funk and R&B bands.

Boring easily, Arthur expanded his playing to jazz and latin music where he took on the bongo, congo and the timbale, which he ultimately mastered and was best known for.

Arthur was my neighbor two doors down, and my first memory of his playing was seeing bunches of people dancing in front of his house as he played the drums with the basement window open. 

As kids, Keddy Harris, his nephew Charles Johnson, and I, spend countless hours watching Arthur practice while he played note-for-note from albums we had never heard of. We were introduced to groups like War, Santana, Grand Funk Railroad, Mandrill, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, and so many others that we never heard on the radio. 

Needless to say, my appreciation and ear for music was developed right in that basement. 

Arthur also taught us about fine clothes and grooming. He always wore a fine hat and never owned a pair of sneakers. 

Without a doubt, Arthur was one of the best drummers and percussionist, period! Unfortunately, he choose to never leave Chester, even when he had many opportunities to do so, so his gift was never shared with the world.

Only those of us who knew the ‘Master Sherb’ can appreciate God’s gift to the timbale. 

The family has selected to keep his services private.