Performer
Jack Johnson
Style
Rock
Pop
Folk
Acoustic
Blues rock
indie pop
Folk rock
soft rock
Singer-songwriter
american
pop and chart
surf
Country
United States
- Listenings: 1
- Listeners: 1
Performer description
John Arthur Johnson, nicknamed the "Galveston Giant", was an American boxer who, at the height of the Jim Crow era, became the first black world heavyweight boxing champion (1908–1915). His 1910 fight against James J. Jeffries was dubbed the "fight of the century". Johnson defeated Jeffries, who was white, triggering dozens of race riots across the U.S. According to filmmaker Ken Burns, "for more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and the most notorious African American on Earth". He is widely regarded as one of the most influential boxers in history.