George Washington Johnson (October 29, 1846 – January 23, 1914) was an American singer and the first African American recording star of the phonograph. Born into slavery in either Fluvanna County or near Wheatland in Loudoun County, Virginia, Johnson was likely freed in 1853. He grew up as a companion and servant to a prosperous white farmer's son, where he developed his musical abilities and learned to read and write, despite the prohibitions against educating Black children in Virginia before the Civil War.

In the 1870s, Johnson moved to New York City, where he earned a living as a street performer, known for his whistling. His talent caught the attention of phonograph distributors Charles Marshall and Victor Emerson, who recruited him to record for their coin-operated machines. Johnson's recordings of "The Whistling Coon" and "The Laughing Song" became immensely popular, with the former topping charts for five weeks and the latter for ten weeks in 1891. These songs were among the best-selling recordings in the United States between 1890 and 1895, with estimated sales of 25,000 to 50,000 wax cylinders.

Johnson's career declined by 1905 with advancements in recording technology that allowed mass production of records from a single master. He then worked as a doorman for his friend Len Spencer, a successful artist and booking agent. Johnson died of pneumonia in 1914 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Maple Grove Cemetery in Queens, New York. Despite the racial stereotypes inherent in his most famous songs, Johnson's contributions to the early recording industry remain significant as he paved the way for future African American artists.