Ironically, two of Canada's most famous people are named Oscar Peterson and Ben Johnson, but the Johnson of renown is an athlete, not a musician such as Peterson. Illustrious pianist Peterson did perform and record nonetheless with a guitarist named Ben Johnson. He was the string puller and chord strummer off and on in the first of Peterson's Canadian trios, also featuring Austin Roberts on bass. This Johnson played runs on guitar, while the famous athlete of the same name would be asked to run plays -- that is, until he got booted out of the sports world for doping. Johnson is a character who appears early on in the enormous Peterson discography, his performances featured on vintage collections such as the 1949-50 volume of the "Chronological Classics" compiled by the suitably named Classics label. Several collections of the pianist's complete RCA sides also feature Johnson, during an era when the flamboyant style of this pianist was still in its growing stages. Many of these tracks ring in at three minutes or less, meaning the playing is to the point and, in the case of the guitarist, extremely subtle when noticeable. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide