The Love Story of Bumpy Johnson, the Godfather of Harlem

a black and white photo of a person in uniform

Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson was a complex and contradictory figure, at once a ruthless gangster and a Robin Hood-esque protector of his Harlem community. Born in 1905, he rose to power during the Prohibition era, running numbers rackets and battling rival gangs for control of Harlem’s lucrative underworld. However, he was also the husband to Mayme Hatcher Johnson, and their marriage provides a glimpse into what a real ride-or-die relationship looked like.

02:46 Bumpy meets Mayme

05:04 Dating Bumpy

07:50 Married to the life

10:36 What’s done in the dark

13:51 Bumpy and Mayme forever

Aisle Tell You What is a weekly podcast that shares the weddings, marriages, and romances of Black figures throughout time. We bask on these relationships not to be messy but to remind you of the passion in our past and to humanize the people we put on pedestals. Basically, it’s all love… Black History. Aisle Tell You What is brought to you by Hueido.

Hueido is a media brand that adds color to Black weddings and marriage from yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

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