Fred Johnson – Spy Boy

A Spy Boy for 15 years for the Yellow Pocahontas Mardi Gras Indian Tribe. Our Living Legend discusses history, life, Big Chief Tootie Montana and the rise of the Mardi Gras Indians.

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Fred Johnson – Spy Boy

 

Count Time Podcast Living Legend Fred Johnson 

Fred Johnson, LD Azobra and Big Chief Darryl Montana
Fred Johnson, LD Azobra and Big Chief Darryl Montana

 

Selected quotes and notes from Count Time Podcast with LD Azobra Interview with Fred Johnson

It’s Mardi Gras Time! Everything you want to know about the Mardi Gras Indians
  • Black Mardi Gras and White Mardi Gras
  • Carnival and the start of Mardi Gras Indian Tribes
  • Transformation under Big Chief Tootie Montana
  • What is a Big Chief, the Spy Boy the roles of Mardi Gras Indian Tribes

Good evening. Good evening. Good evening it’s 4:00 PM. Stand up it’s count time, time for every man and woman to stand up and be counted. Welcome to another edition of Count Time podcast. I am brother LD Azobra. Thank you for joining us today.

fred johnson

Music. That’s what it wass supposed to be about. And the storyline of how the Africans have impact the world of music and so many other things too. So I heard this guest here today, who is our brother, Fred Johnson. Welcome to Count Time Fred.

FJ
Thanks for having me.

LD
I know you are so full of insight, knowledge, well read. But first, just give us a little brief history of Fred Johnson.

FJ
All right, brother, as you say. My name is Fred Johnson. I’m born and bred in New Orleans, Louisiana. I’m the oldest of six of my parents children.

Big Chief Tootie Montana sculpture
Big Chief Tootie Montana sculpture. Click picture for EP69 with creator acclaimed artist Shellen Jones

LD
Give us some history. What’s your mother and fathers name?

FJ
My father, I’m a junior. Fred Joseph Johnson Jr. And my mom is Eva Johnson. They both deceased. But my dad was a fruit peddler in the days when they didn’t have good refrigeration.

LD
Why do you say peddler? He was a businessman.

chief bo dollis
Click picture for EP26 with Dr. Joyce Jackson

FJ
No, he was a fruit peddler. That’s what it was. He was a fruit peddler. But food peddler allowed him to be an independent worker. He worked for himself and he would go to the French market, which is far gone from what it was. It’s the flea market now. It was the French market back then. And he would take us to work with him and we’d go in the market early in the morning. And you had produce coming into the market from all over the world. I mean, California, Florida, Texas, Louisiana. So we would go in the market, load up the truck and then go in the route and sell the produce. Most of his clientele was either Russian or German or Italian. I would think more Italian than anything.

LD
What kind of produce?

FJ
You name it. Okra, squash, cauliflower, cucumbers, bananas, fruit and vegetable, watermelon, cantaloupe.