Johnson made his first-class debut on 9 March 1935, at the age of 24, playing for Jamaica against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club. In a first-class career which lasted until 1952, he played 28 first-class matches, ten for Jamaica. Three of matches were Tests, and a further fifteen were representing the West Indies on tour outside international matches. He played six first-class matches between 1935 and 1939, all for Jamaica because organised cricket in the region was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War.