• Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz
• Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz Escape
• Bumpy Johnson Wikipedia
• Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz Time
• Bumpy Johnson Kids

Bumpy Johnson returns from Alcatraz to reunite with his family and reclaim his Harlem territory from Italian mob boss Vincent Gigante; he finds an unlikely ally in his old friend Malcolm X. Johnson later was a hostess at a Manhattan restaurant. Mayme Hatcher’s meeting with Bumpy Johnson in 1948 was pure chance, Miller said. “Bumpy had just come out of Dannamora,” Miller said, after he had served 10 years at that state prison in northern New York.

This coming Sunday, Bumpy Johnson’s story will come to life via the EPIX network’s “Godfather of Harlem” series, starring Forrest Whitaker in the lead role. Johnson was one of the most feared gangsters of his time who also used his powerful influence for good as well.

Ellsworth Raymond Johnson was born October 31, 1905 in Charleston, S.C. At the age of 10, his older brother Willie was sent North with relatives after he was accused of killing a white man. Johnson was sent to Harlem to live with an older sister after his parents felt that his short temper with white folks could get him harmed.

The real Bumpy Johnson

Johnson, who earned his nickname due to a large bump on his head, fell into crime early, burglarizing and pimping in Harlem. After serving a 10-year prison sentence, Johnson crossed paths with Stephanie St. Clair, better known as Madame Queen, who ran an extensive and independent numbers operation in Harlem. While waging war on the Italian mob, who extorted crime networks across New York, Johnson became Madame Queen’s main enforcer and eventually took over her operation.

Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz

Johnson was able to arrange a deal with mob boss Lucky Luciano to keep the peace between his gang and the mob, and also keep the numbers operation independent, though he did have to provide a cut of his profits. Despite Johnson’s violent reputation, he gave back to Harlem’s poor, hosting Thanksgiving giveaways and other acts of charity.

In 1951, Johnson was hit with a 15-year prison sentence for heroin distribution in New York, serving time in Alcatraz. After his release in 1963, Johnson resumed his godfather status, but grew tired constant police surveillance and staged a sit-in protest in prison. He was charged and later acquitted for the disturbance. In 1968, while having a breakfast of fried chicken and eggs, Johnson suffered a heart attack and died.

Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz Escape

He was 62.

Bumpy Johnson Wikipedia

Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz Time

Bumpy Johnson Kids

PHOTOS: Public Domain, EPIX