James “Osie” Johnson (born January 1923; died February 10, 1966), was a jazz drummer and singer. Born in Washington D.C., Osie would go to study to Friendship Armstrong Academy Highschool, where he would eventually meet two jazz saxophonists, Leo Parker and Frank Wess.

Osie began his career in 1954, when he collaborated with artists like Carmen McRae and Oscar Pettiford for their own records. A year later, Johnson decided to release three solo records: Johnson’s Whacks, Osie’s Oasis, and Swingin' Sounds, along with tens of collaborations for other musicians.

In 1957, Osie released a compilation called The Happy Jazz of Osie Johnson, what would later become one of his most recognisable projects.

Osie would go on to collaborate with many famous artists from 1955 until 1965. Unfortunately, Osie died in 1966 because of kidney failure. He was 43 years old at the time.