George Washington Johnson (c. October 1846 – January 23, 1914) was an American singer and pioneer sound recording artist.

During his time with this family, he developed his musical ability and even learned to read and write, which was illegal for a black child in Virginia before the American Civil War.

Some time between January and May 1890, Johnson was recruited by two different regional phonograph distributors who were looking for recording artists for their coin-operated machines.

Both of them invited Johnson to record his loud raggy whistling on wax phonograph cylinders for a fee of twenty cents per two-minute performance.

[8] Remarkably, the New Jersey record company marketed Johnson as a black man, during an era when much of American life was strongly segregated by race.

"The Whistling Coon" was characterized by a light-hearted tune and lyrics which would be unacceptable today, in which a black man is compared to a baboon.

His friend Len Spencer, now a successful artist and booking agent, hired Johnson as an office doorman.

[14] False rumors have circulated that Johnson died either in a racially motivated lynching, or alternatively that he was hanged after he committed murder.

[16] In 2013 the Maple Grove Historical Preservation Society began a campaign to honor Johnson, and received a grant from the MusiCares Foundation to erect a plaque on his grave site.

On April 12, 2014, a century after his death, the singer was finally recognized in a ceremony including displays, presentations and a performance by actor Larry Marshall who impersonated Johnson.