Musician and Songwriter Al “Carnival Time” Johnson Keeps his Fete Going Strong

By Veronica Cross

Al Johnson at home in New Orleans Musicians Village-2023

Born June 20, 1939, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson continues to maintain his career as a vocalist, pianist, songwriter, and a beloved New Orleans icon. Raised in the Ninth Ward neighborhood, Mr.Johnson was inspired by the sound and success of the city’s rhythm and blues exemplars such as Fats Domino, Tommy Ridgely, and Smiley Lewis, among others. His love of music was encouraged by his father who purchased instruments for him and his siblings, and Johnson chose piano over trumpet in pursuit of the New Orleans sound of his heroes.

Though his signature 1960 composition Carnival Time ensures a near-magical relevance with its annual heavy rotation on radio and everywhere where Mardi Gras is celebrated, Mr. Johnson still writes, records, and performs while maintaining his own business, independent of a manager. It’s also noteworthy that he had to fight to attain the rights to Carnival Time, being ultimately awarded full rights in 1999. His ability to manage his own appearances and recording/production was unique during times when agents and managers were ubiquitous, and that autonomy has helped his star endure. On April 14, 2007, Al Johnson was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame at the “Legends of Louisiana Celebration & Inductions” event.

Releases of the last few years include Who Dat Say w Egg Yolk Jubliee (2009), Mardi Gras Strut on his album Beyond Carnival (2013), Honest I Do (Jimmy Reed) Talkin’ Bout the Blues, a compilation (2014), and Don’t Go, Santa, recorded with Margie Perez (2015). His fame took another turn as he was chosen as the Grand Marshall for Life of the Krewe of Red Beans, responding in kind to this distinction with the song Red Beans, recorded in 2021 with Bon Bon Vivant.

 Career longevity is a result of preparation, talent, consistency, and now – more than ever, understanding how developing technologies and law can support an artist’s intellectual property. It’s also some luck, of course. Over the years, The Ella Project’s intellectual property lawyer Ashlye Keaton has counseled Mr. Johnson regarding his rights as an artist to support himself as a working musician in New Orleans. We believe that artists should get paid for their work. Mr. Johnson also just registered a selection of songs from his 60+ year catalog with the nonprofit Mechanical Licensing Collective in order to collect royalties from streaming services. Imagine Al Johnson starting out on celluloid six decades ago, recording in the studio of famed engineer Cosimo Matassa, and sharing 45s with local radio stations, striving to get national airplay. Now imagine Al Johnson sharing some of that same music and newer compositions with streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Amazon Music to bring his music to the world’s digital fingertips.

 Recently, The Ella Project visited Mr. Johnson at his house in Musician’s Village to discuss his long and fruitful career. Not surprisingly, his home is filled with photos of heroes, friends, and collaborators, with the Krewe of Red Beans Grand Marshall sash draped across his piano bench. The highlight was a live home concert of “Carnival Time” on his own piano, while everyone ate king cake and was definitely “having fun”, as the songs goes.