Don Shirley
Don Shirley | |
---|---|
Born | Donald Walbridge Shirley January 29, 1927 Pensacola, Florida, U.S. |
Died | April 6, 2013 Manhattan, New York, U.S. | (aged 86)
Education | Prairie View A&M University Virginia State University Catholic University (BM) University of Chicago |
Occupations |
|
Spouse |
Jean C. Hill
(m. 1952, divorced) |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 1945–2013 |
Labels | |
Donald Walbridge Shirley (January 29, 1927 – April 6, 2013) was an American classical and jazz pianist and composer. He recorded many albums for Cadence Records during the 1950s and 1960s, experimenting with jazz with a classical influence. He wrote organ symphonies, piano concerti, a cello concerto, three string quartets, a one-act opera, works for organ, piano and violin, a symphonic poem based on the 1939 novel Finnegans Wake by James Joyce, and a set of "Variations" on the 1858 opera Orpheus in the Underworld.[1]
Born in Pensacola, Florida, Shirley was a promising young student of classical piano. Although he did not achieve recognition in his early career playing traditional classical music, he found success with his blending of various musical traditions.
During the 1960s, Shirley went on a number of concert tours, some in
Early life
Shirley was born on January 29, 1927, in Pensacola, Florida,[4] to Jamaican immigrants, Stella Gertrude (1903–1936), a teacher, and Edwin S. Shirley (1885–1982), an Episcopal priest.[5] His birthplace was sometimes incorrectly given as Kingston, Jamaica, because his label advertised him as being Jamaican-born.[4] Shirley started to learn piano when he was two years old.[6] By age three, he was playing the organ.
He briefly enrolled at
According to some sources, Shirley traveled to the Soviet Union to study piano and music theory at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory of Music.[10] According to his nephew, Edwin, his record label falsely claimed that he studied music in Europe to "make him acceptable in areas where a Black man from a Black school wouldn’t have got any recognition at all."[7] According to trio cellist Jüri Täht, Donald never studied in the Soviet Union.[11]
Career
1945–1953
In 1945, at the age of 18, Shirley performed the Tchaikovsky B-flat minor concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[6] A year later, Shirley performed one of his compositions with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.[6]
While a student at
In 1949, he received an invitation from the Haitian government to play at the Exposition Internationale du Bi-Centenaire de Port-au-Prince, followed by a request from President Estimé and Archbishop Joseph-Marie Le Gouaze for a repeat performance the next week.[13]
Shirley was married to Jean C. Hill in Cook County, Illinois on December 23, 1952,[14] but they later divorced.[1][15]
Discouraged by the lack of opportunities for black classical musicians, Shirley abandoned the piano as a career for a time. He studied psychology at the
1954–2013
At
Shirley's first album as a leader was Tonal Expressions, for
During the 1960s, Shirley went on a number of concert tours, some in Southern states, believing that he could change some minds with his performances. For his initial tour, in 1962,
In late 1968, Shirley performed the
Death
Shirley died of heart disease on April 6, 2013, at the age of 86.[1]
Discography
- Tonal Expressions (Cadence, 1955)
- Orpheus in the Underworld (Cadence, 1956)
- Piano Perspectives (Cadence, 1956)
- Don Shirley Duo (Cadence, 1956)
- Don Shirley with Two Basses (Cadence, 1957)
- Don Shirley Solos (Cadence, 1957)
- Improvisations (Cadence, 1957)
- Don Shirley (Audio Fidelity, 1959)
- Don Shirley Plays Love Songs (Cadence, 1960)
- Don Shirley Plays Gershwin (Cadence, 1960)
- Don Shirley Plays Standards (Cadence, 1960)
- Don Shirley Plays Birdland Lullabies (Cadence, 1960)
- Don Shirley Plays Showtunes (Cadence, 1960)
- Don Shirley Trio (Cadence, 1961)
- Piano Arrangements of Spirituals (Cadence, 1962)
- Pianist Extraordinary (Cadence, 1962)
- Piano Spirituals (1962)
- Don Shirley Presents Martha Flowers (1962)
- Drown in My Own Tears (Cadence, 1962)
- Water Boy (Columbia, 1965)
- The Gospel According to Don Shirley (Columbia, 1969)
- Don Shirley in Concert (Columbia, 1969)
- The Don Shirley Point of View (Atlantic, 1972)[26]
- Home with Donald Shirley (2001)
- Don Shirley's Best (Cadence, 2010)
References
- ^ a b c Weber, Bruce (April 28, 2013). "Donald Shirley, a Pianist With His Own Genre, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ a b Greenspan, Rachel E. (November 15, 2018). "The True Story Behind the Movie Green Book". Time. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ Harris, Hamil (February 26, 2019). "Who was the real Don Shirley? Family shares dismay at portrayal in 'Green Book'". Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ a b "History vs. Hollywood: Green Book". History vs. Hollywood. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ "African American Shirley Lineage". Shirley Association Genealogical Research.
- ^ a b c d Campbell, Al. "Don Shirley – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "How 'Green Book' And The Hollywood Machine Swallowed Donald Shirley Whole". shadowandact.com.
- ^ "CatholicU Alumnus Donald Shirley Celebrated in Oscar-Contender Green Book". The Catholic University of America. November 12, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "A Jamaican's story". Jamaica Observer. December 9, 2018. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ "A Rediscovered Trio".
- ^ "Donald Shirley Candidate for Rhodes Honor". The Tower. November 23, 1949. p. 3.
- ^ "Don Shirley – biography". Nathan Kramer. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ "Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930–1960". Ancestry. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ "The True Story Behind the Movie 'Green Book'". Time. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
- ^ Alleyne, Caleigh (November 14, 2018). "Don Shirley And 'The Green Book' Are The Historical Anchors Of Mahershala Ali's New Segregation-Era Film". Vibe. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ "College concert series features Shirley trio" (PDF). The Comenian. Moravian College. February 28, 1964. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ "Reviews and Ratings of New Popular Albums". Billboard. Vol. 67, no. 5. January 29, 1955. p. 29.
- ^ "Chart Comments". Billboard. Vol. 67, no. 16. April 16, 1955. p. 28.
- ^ "Don Shirley Biography". Biography.com. January 9, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ Bruney, Gabrielle (February 23, 2019). "The Problems With 'Green Book' Start With Its Title, and Don't Stop Coming". Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ "Weekend in Detroit". Detroit Free Press. November 29, 1968. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ Miller, Herbie (July 25, 2012). "Dr Donald Shirley, a musician beyond category". The Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ "Jazz Is Not A Noun: Don Shirley, The Extraordinary Pianist". Indiana Public Media. February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Don Shirley - Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
Bibliography
- Feather, L. G. (1960). The New Edition of the Encyclopedia of Jazz. Horizon Press. pp. 418–419.
- Fox, A. (2007). Compendium of Over 2000 Jazz Pianists. Trofford Publishing. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-4251-1848-8.
- Neely, T., ed. (2001). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide (2nd ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 507–508. ISBN 0-87349-316-8.
- Neely, T., ed. (2003). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. p. 545. ISBN 0-87349-671-X.
- Whitburn, J. (1991). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums. Billboard Books. p. 328. ISBN 0-8230-7534-6.
External links
- "Shirley: Jazz Review". audiophileaudition.net. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2007.