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Bill Johnson was the brother-in-law of Jelly Roll Morton and one of the first band leaders to take the New Orleans style of Jazz outside the city. He was the leader of a band in California in 1909. He sent for Freddie Keppard and several other New Orleans musicians and toured the country from 1912 until 1918 on the Orpheum curcuit under the name of the Original Creole Orchestra. The band was very popular and no doubt introduced Northern audiences to Jazz for the first time. Johnson was actually the one who got the gig at the Royal Garden in Chicago, but hired King Oliver to front the band, hence the Original Creole Orchestra eventually became King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, and Johnson continued to play bass in the band until the group broke up in 1923. then lead his own band in Chicago for many years, and also played in some of Johnny Dodds' bands. He continued to live and play in Chicago until the 1950's when he retired from music and moved to Mexico.