On the first day, in the first 15 minutes after I met Sharon Preston-Folta, we cried together. Her story, her testimony, simply moved me. Sharon, you see, is the secret daughter of dancer Lucille “Sweets” Preston and famed trumpeter Louis Armstrong, the innovator of one of America’s most innovative musical art forms—jazz. And for more [...]
Louis Armstrong’s Secret Daughter Sharon Preston-Folta Tells Her Story
December 23, 2012 | Posted by
How the Ku Klux Klan Helped Fund Early Jazz Recordings
November 29, 2012 | Posted by
How did the Ku Klux Klan play an indirect role in financing the early popularity of some legendary black jazz musicians? Money from the racist group helped keep an independent record company in business in the 1920s that played a role in the growth of jazz music. Klan members in the 1920s. The Gennett record [...]
Lloyd Brevett, Bassist for The Skatalites Band, Dies at 80
May 4, 2012 | Posted by
The Skatalites lost yet another founding member, with Lloyd Brevett’s passing yesterday morning at the Andrews Memorial Hospital in St Andrew. Brevett was 80 years old. His passing leaves Lester Sterling, trumpet and saxophone player, as the lone surviving founding member of The Skatalites. The rastafarian double bassist who produced two Skatalites albums, African Roots [...]
