Musician. Born Theodore Shaw Wilson, he was a sophisticated jazz pianist known for his elegant style. In 1935, he joined the Benny Goodman Trio and became the first black musician to perform in public with a previously all-white jazz group. From the 1930s to 1950s, he performed and recorded with some of best musicians in jazz music to include Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday, Lena Horne and Lester Young. He also taught at the Julliard School of Music and appeared as himself in the motion picture "The Benny Goodman Story" (1955). Through the 1960s and 1970s, he performed as a soloist and with pick-up groups until the final years of his life.
Musician. Born Theodore Shaw Wilson, he was a sophisticated jazz pianist known for his elegant style. In 1935, he joined the Benny Goodman Trio and became the first black musician to perform in public with a previously all-white jazz group. From the 1930s to 1950s, he performed and recorded with some of best musicians in jazz music to include Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday, Lena Horne and Lester Young. He also taught at the Julliard School of Music and appeared as himself in the motion picture "The Benny Goodman Story" (1955). Through the 1960s and 1970s, he performed as a soloist and with pick-up groups until the final years of his life.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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