John Rosamond Johnson

John Rosamond Johnson was born on this site in a small frame house on August 11, 1873. A genuine prodigy, he taught himself piano by age 4. In 1890, he attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and he later studied music in London as well. In 1900, he set his brother’s poem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” to music, and it became first the unofficial and then the official Black National Anthem. After 1900, he moved to New York, where he became a very successful songwriter, composer, author, and performer. He wrote over 200 popular songs and four operettas, arranged over 150 Negro spirituals, and authored four books. J. Rosamond Johnson’s works are enshrined in a Special Collection at Yale University.

Jacksonville, Florida · United States