 It isn't totally clear what he did in the years after that, but he shows up in the New York City census of 1880, where he lists his occupation as musician. He was known to perform in ferry terminals, not far from Tin Pan Alley. And one day, the story goes, a representative from a phonograph company shows up in the ferry terminal. Listening to Johnson sing, they decide to bring him back to their recording laboratory. He was paid like a flat fee, like 20 cents or something like that.