Louis Johnson
A.K.A. Thunder Thumbs Louis E. Johnson
Sunrise: April 13, 1955
Los Angelas, California, USA
Sunset: May 21, 2015
Vegas, Nevada, USA
Bio
Louis Johnson (born April 13, 1955, Los Angeles, California, USA – died May 21, 2015, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) was an American R&B, soul, funk and jazz bassist and vocalist. In 1975, with his brother George Johnson they formed the group Brothers Johnson. He also worked as a session musician playing on numerous releases of the 1970's and 1980's including Michael Jackson's albums "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Dangerous". He was known for his distinctive slapping technique on the bass guitar (aka "Thunder Thumbs"). Cousin of Alex Weir.
Louis’s signature slap-bass style—dynamic, percussive, and groove-driven—earned him both his nickname and his place in funk history. His playing became foundational on Michael Jackson’s early solo work (“Billie Jean,” “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough”) and throughout Quincy Jones’s soul-funk productions on albums like Off the Wall, Thriller, and Mellow Madness (rocksubculture.com). As one of the most influential bassists of the era, he ranked #38 on Bass Player magazine’s “100 Greatest Bass Players” list (en.wikipedia.org).
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