Christian Uzoma Onyeji Sr., a composer, ethnomusicologist, and pianist, is deeply dedicated to promoting classical music drawn from Nigerian-based content and methodology. Born on August 15, 1967, in Imo State, Nigeria, he carries on the musical legacy of his paternal grandfather, an Igbo master Oja … Read MoreChristian Uzoma Onyeji (1967- )
King Curtis, a famed saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and producer, was one of the most influential musicians of his generation. He may also have been one of the most prolific, having amassed a stunning portfolio with over two hundred artists in eighteen years. Born Curtis Montgomery … Read MoreKing Curtis (1934-1971)
Donny Hathaway—singer, pianist, producer, composer, and one of R&B’s strongest talents—was born Donny Edward Pitts on October 1, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois. Hathaway was raised in the Carr Square Housing Projects of St. Louis, Missouri, by his grandmother, Martha Pitts. At the age of three, Hathaway began singing … Read MoreDonny Hathaway (1945-1979)
Jazz harpist-composer Dorothy Ashby was born Dorothy Jeanne Thompson in Detroit, Michigan, on August 6, 1932, the daughter of self-taught guitarist Wiley Thompson. Raised in the jazz community in the city and tutored by her father to learn harmony and musical instruments, she occasionally provided piano accompaniment for musicians visiting … Read MoreDorothy Ashby (1932-1986)
Korla Pandit, the first African American to have his own television show, was a composer, organist, and pianist who starred in TV’s first all-music series. He was known as the godfather of “Exotica,” a musical genre that became popular in the 1950s. In order to … Read MoreKorla Pandit (1921-1998) (aka Redd, John Roland, aka Rolando, Juan)
Image Ownership: Public Domain In the article below Hilary Burrage, Executive Chair of the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Foundation, a United Kingdom (UK)-based non-profit organisation, describes the composer and how she came to regard and preserve his work and legacy. It has taken three times the … Read MoreSamuel Coleridge-Taylor: For His Times and Ours
As one of the most popular and influential jazz musicians from Africa, Hugh Masekela’s life reflects the creative ways of using music to confront injustices and generate change in his homeland. Born in the coal-mining town of Witbank (near Johannesburg), South Africa on April 4, … Read MoreHugh Ramopolo Masekela (1939-2018)
José Mauricio Nunes Garcia (1767-1830) was an Afro-Brazilian composer and organist who was the grandson of slaves. Over 240 works of music by Garcia have survived. Garcia’s mother was Vitória Maria da Cruz and his father was Apolinário Nunes Garcia, a tailor. Garcia was born … Read MoreJosé Mauricio Nunes Garcia (1767-1830)
Considered by many as the dean of African American composers, William Grant Still, the son of educators, was born in Woodville, Mississippi on May 11, 1895. His father, a musician who once taught music at Alabama A&M College, died when he was an infant; his … Read MoreWilliam Grant Still (1895-1978)
