Arnold Josiah Ford was a black nationalist, rabbi, and emigrationist. Ford was born on April 23, 1877 in Bridgetown, Barbados to Edward Ford, a policeman, and Elizabeth Augusta Braithwaite, a homemaker. Ford parents wanted him to become a musician and provided him with private tutors … Read MoreArnold Josiah Ford (1877-1935)
Billy Taylor was an African American jazz pianist, composer, recording artist, educator, and broadcaster. Born in Greenville, North Carolina on July 24, 1921, Taylor was one of two children of William, Sr., a dentist and Antoinette, a schoolteacher. When Taylor was young his family moved … Read MoreBilly Taylor (William Edward Taylor, Jr.) (1921-2010)
Manu Dibango was a saxophonist from Cameroon whose 60 years of experience in the music industry inspired some of the world’s most famous artists. Dibango was also one of the first high-profile people to die after catching COVID-19, the coronavirus. Dibango was born in the … Read MoreEmmanuel “Manu” N’Djoké Dibango (1933-2020)
Alfred McCoy Tyner was a Jazz pianist who was best known for his association with the John Coltrane Quartet. Tyner held a strong commitment to the acoustic piano, while other musicians adopted the electric keyboards and synthesizers. He was left-handed and played with a low … Read MoreMcCoy Tyner (1938-2020)
Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr., jazz pianist and music educator, was considered the patriarch of the first family of New Orleans jazz. Marsalis passed away on April 1, 2020 of complications from the coronavirus (COVID-19), at the age of 85. He was one of the first … Read MoreEllis Marsalis (1934-2020)
Mathematician Floyd Leroy Williams was born on September 20, 1939 in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended his local schools, and in his senior year of high school, he was offered a scholarship to Lincoln University of Missouri to study music. Williams studied Classical Piano and … Read MoreFloyd Leroy Williams (1939- )
James Victor Scott, born July 17, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio to Arthur and Justine Stanard Scott, was a jazz vocalist known as “Little” Jimmy Scott. Due to a rare genetic condition (Kallmann’s syndrome), Scott sang with an unusually high contralto voice. The condition also stunted … Read MoreJimmy Scott (1925-2014)
David Louis Bartholomew was best known for his collaborations with Fats Domino, writing or co-writing a string of hits including “Ain’t That A Shame” and “I’m Walking.” He was one of the most influential promoters of 20th Century New Orleans-style music, particularly during the 1950s … Read MoreDavid Louis Bartholomew (1918-2019)
Ernest “Rip” Patton, Jr., a civil rights activist and a veteran of the Freedom Riders, was born in 1940 in Nashville, Tennessee. From a young age, Patton desired to see societal change due to his childhood memories of observing the harsh effects of racial segregation … Read MoreErnest “Rip” Patton (1940–2021)
Gregory Oliver Hines, an American tap dancer, singer, actor, and choreographer, was a major figure in the revitalization of tap dancing in the late twentieth century. Hines was born on February 14, 1946, in New York City, New York, the son of Alma Lola and … Read MoreGregory Oliver Hines (1946-2003)
