People, Locations, Episodes

Black History in American Vaudeville, a story

*Black Vaudeville history is celebrated on this date in 1875. This was a Black performance community that emerged from the movement and style of the American stage.   The vaudeville years began as the Reconstruction Era ended, from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. These Black acts were unique because the performers brought in […]

Florence B. Price, Pianist, and Composer born

On this date in 1877, Florence Smith Price was born. She was an African American composer, concert pianist, and organist.

Henrietta Myers, Choral Vocalist, and Conductor born

*Henrietta Crawley Myers was born on this date in 1878.  She was a Black singer (contralto) and choral director.  Henrietta Crawley was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the oldest of 10 children born to Thomas Edward and Mary Jane Crawley. She was educated in the public schools of Nashville and later at Fisk University. She began […]

The Canadian Jubilee Singers Are Formed

*The first appearance of the Canadian Jubilee Singers is celebrated on this date in 1878. The Canadian Jubilee Singers were a group of black singers and musicians. William and Sadie Carter organized the group. Inspired by the Fisk Jubilee Singers from Fisk University, their singers were almost all from the Hamilton area of Ontario, Canada. The original […]

Bunk Johnson, Jazz Trumpeter born

*On this date we remember the birth of Bunk Johnson in 1879. He was an African American musician and composer.

Henry Creamer, Lyricist born

*Henry Creamer was born on this date in 1879. He was an African American songwriter and entertainer from Richmond, Virginia.

Chris Smith, Songwriter, and Actor born

Chris Smith, an African American songwriter, was born on this date in 1879.

Zelia N. Breaux, Music Educator born

*Zelia N. Breaux was born on this date in 1880. She was a Black music instructor and musician who played the trumpet, violin, and piano.  Born Zelia N. Page in Jefferson City, Missouri, she was the daughter of Inman Edward and Zelia Ball Page. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the Lincoln Institute, […]

Clarence Cameron White, Violinist born

*The birth of Clarence Cameron White in 1880 is marked on this date. He was an African American violinist and composer.

James R. Europe, Composer, and Bandleader born

*James R. Europe was born on this date in 1881. He was an African American bandleader, arranger, composer, and a major figure in the transition from ragtime to jazz.

From Mobile, Ala., James Reese Europe studied piano and violin in his youth and about 1904 settled in New York City, where he directed musical comedies. In 1910, he helped organize the Clef Club, a union of African American musicians. The 125-member Clef Club Society Orchestra that he conducted at Carnegie Hall featured some extraordinary instrumentation, including 47 mandolins and bandores and 27 harp-guitars.

Louis Chauvin, Ragtime Pianist born

*Louis Chauvin was born on this date in 1881. He was a Black ragtime musician. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, of a Mexican Native American father and a Black mother, he was one of the finest pianists in the St. Louis area at the turn of the century. He was part of the ragtime community that met at Tom Turpin’s Rosebud bar, along with Joe […]

Tim Brymn, Jazz Bandleader born

Tim Brymn was born on this date in 1881. He was an African American musical conductor, arranger, and composer.

James “Tim” Brymn was from Kinston, N.C., and educated at the Christian Institute and Shaw University. He also attended the National Conservatory of Music. Brymn moved to New York around the turn of the 20th century and soon began composing. In 1905 he wrote five songs that were probably used in what came to be known as the Smart Set shows. They included “Morning, Noon, and Night,” “O-San,” “Powhatana,” “Travel On,” and “Darktown Grenadiers.”

Joe Jordan, Composer, and Publisher born

*Joe Jordan was born on this date in 1882. He was a Black pianist, composer, real estate investor, and music publisher. Joseph Taylor Jordan was from Cincinnati, Ohio, grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and received musical training at the Lincoln Institute (now Lincoln University) in Jefferson City, Missouri. 1900, as a young man, he […]

Lester Walton, Composer, and Journalist born

*Lester Walton was born on this date in 1882. He was a Black composer, diplomat, and journalist.   Lester Aglar Walton, from St. Louis, MO, graduated from segregated Sumner High School. After graduation, his father provided him with a white tutor to help him graduate from a business school. Walton was an Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member, the […]

Robert N. Dett, Classical Composer born

On this date in 1882, Robert Dett was born. He was an African American composer, poet and pianist.