Johnson was born in the small settlement of Bogansville, near to the towns of Union and Jonesville, South Carolina.
[3] Johnson performed with two vocal groups, the West Spring Friendly Four and the Silver Star Quartet, which were broadcast on the radio stations WPSA and WBSU, respectively.
[5] In 1952, he moved from working on a farm to a hospital job, while also making a gradual transition to playing more secular material, on a part-time basis.
Discovered by blues historians, Johnson started to give solo concerts, performed on the radio, and joined up musically with his childhood friend Peg Leg Sam.
He also provided guitar and vocals, along with Baby Tate, for a couple of tracks on Peg Leg Sam's album Medicine Show Man, released in the same year.