Biography:John Katon
John Katon
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| Given name: | John |
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| Family name: | Katon |
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| Profile: | Musician |
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Biographical notes
John Katon was the son of Black fiddler Bill Katon (1864 - 1934) who lived and farmed near Tebbetts, in the Missouri River bottoms of south Callaway County. His father Bill occasionally performed over WOS in Jefferson city (with his black guitarist, Ola Gathright) and they played dances in both the white and black community throughout the region. Bill Katon was widely respected and his WOS performances reached a large audience. John Katon was an informant of collector R.P. Christeson's, whom he visited around 1950, and whom he recorded with his wire recorder. Christeson can be heard on some of the cuts playing his portable harmonium (organ) in accompaniment.
Note: The surname is often given as "Caton" but reportedly the family preferred the spelling "Katon."