January 26, 1996 Henry Jay Lewis, double-bass player and orchestra conductor, died. Lewis was born October 16, 1932 in Los Angeles, California. He began playing the piano at the age of five and later learned to play the clarinet and several string instruments.
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James Louis “J.J.” Johnson – January 22nd in African American History
January 22, 1924 James Louis “J.J.” Johnson, jazz trombonist, composer and arranger, was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. At the age of nine he started studying the piano, but decided to play the trombone at the age of 14. In 1941, Johnson started his professional career. He played in Benny Carter’s orchestra from 1942 to 1945, […]
Chester Arthur Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf) – January 10th in African American History
January 10, 1976 Chester Arthur Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf), blues singer, guitarist, and harmonica player, died. Wolf was born June 10, 1910 in White Station, Mississippi. During the 1930s, he performed in the South with a number of blues musicians, including Robert Johnson and Son House. His first recording, “How Many More Years,” was produced in […]
John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie – January 6th in African American History
January 6, 1993 John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer, died. Gillespie was born October 21, 1917 in Cheraw, South Carolina. By the age of four, he had started to play the piano. He also taught himself to play the trombone and the trumpet. His first professional job was with the Frank […]
Paul Douglas Freeman – January 2nd in African American History
January 2, 1936 Paul Douglas Freeman, conductor and music director, was born in Richmond, Virginia. Freeman started piano lessons at the age of five and soon after also started playing the clarinet. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in 1956, his Master of Music degree in 1957, and his Ph. D. in 1963, all […]
Roland W. Hayes – January 1st in African American History
January 1, 1977 Roland W. Hayes, lyric tenor and the first African American male concert artist to receive international acclaim, died. Hayes was born June 3, 1887 in Curryville, Georgia. He began publicly performing with the Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1911. From 1916 to 1919, he toured throughout the United States, arranging his own recitals. […]
Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. – December 28th in African American History
December 28, 1952 Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr., pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, died. Henderson was born December 18, 1897 in Cuthbert, Georgia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics from Atlanta University in 1920. After graduating, he moved to New York City to attend Columbia University for a master’s degree in chemistry. However, […]