Europe – Great Britain – England
William Herbert Gray III (1941-2013)
William Herbert Gray III was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 20, 1941. His mother, Hazel Yates Gray, was...
James Reese Europe (1881-1919)
James Reese Europe, one of the first African Americans to record music in the United States, was born on February...
Alexander Skunder Boghossian (1937-2003)
Born in Ethiopia in 1937, Alexander Skunder Boghossian first rose to prominence at the age of 17 when he won...
John Blanke (16th Century)
Historians have documented the arrival of black people in Britain as members of the Roman Army. The first reference to...
Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780)
Ignatius Sancho was an African composer and author who grew up as a house slave in England. We do not...
The Black Presence in Pre-20th Century Europe: A Hidden History
In the following account, Professor Allison Blakely of Boston University describes the presence of blacks in Early Modern Europe. His...
American Negro Theatre (ca. 1940-1955)
Formed by Abram Hill, Frederick O’Neal, and other actors in Harlem, New York in 1940, the American Negro Theatre (ANT)...
George Bridgetower (1780-1860)
Eighteenth and nineteenth century classical violinist George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower is perhaps now best remembered for his association with Ludwig...
Black Composers and Musicians in Classical Music History
Utilizing the research of Professor Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, historian William J. Zick in the...
