Composer/ Improvisational Jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders was born on October 13, 1940, in Little Rock, Arkansas, as Farrell Sanders. An only child, Sanders’ mother worked as a cook in a school cafeteria, and his father worked for the City of Little Rock. They, too, were … Read MorePharoah Sanders (1940- )
Legendary saxophonist, composer Clarence Clemons, a towering 6-foot-6, was born Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. on January 11, 1942, in Norfolk, Virginia, in the segregated Norfolk Community Hospital, to Clarence Anicholas “Nick” Clemons Jr., Sr., owner of The Clemons’ Seafood Market” on Liberty Street in the … Read MoreClarence Clemons Jr. (1942-2011)
Until his abrupt resignation from office, Dominik Feri, the youngest-ever and first African-descended legislator in the Czech Parliament, had been a rock star of European politics and a darling of the press. Born July 11, 1996, in Kadaň, Czech Republic, he is the son of … Read MoreDominik Feri (1996- )
Patrice Louise Rushen is an R&B singer and jazz pianist. She was born on September 30, 1954 in Los Angeles, California to Allen and Ruth Rushen. Rushen is a musical prodigy who began playing piano at the age of three. In 1958 her parents enrolled … Read MorePatrice Rushen (1954- )
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- )
