Johnny Wooten impacted tens of thousands of students and community members during his thirty-year career as a music educator and performer. He also played a pioneering role in the desegregation of East Carolina College through musical performances in which he participated during the late 1950's, after the ECC Board of Trustees decided to allow African American entertainers on campus. That decision was prompted by the unexpected appearance of an African American musician during a Dave Brubeck concert in early 1958, when one band member had fallen sick and a substitute musician who happened to be African American took the stage. Student response was overwhelmingly supportive, encouraging the Board of Trustees to approve officially and publicly the presence of African American performers on campus.