Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1921, July 24 | Born, Greenville, North Carolina, to William Edward Taylor, Sr. and Antoinette Bacon Taylor |
| 1926 | Taylor family moved to Washington, D.C. |
| 1928 | Began music lessons with Elmira Streets. He would study saxophone, guitar, and drums before eventually settling on the piano |
| 1934 | Studied classical piano with Henry Grant while attending Shaw Junior High School |
| 1935 | Met long-time friend and fellow saxophonist Frank Wess while attending Dunbar High School. Upon hearing Wess play, Taylor abandoned his interest in playing the saxophone |
| 1938 | Graduated from Dunbar High School and entered Virginia State College as a sociology major. He was persuaded to change his major from sociology to music during his junior year by music instructor and mentor Undine S. Moore Began music career as pianist for the Benny Layton Band |
| 1942 | B.S. in Music, Virginia State College, Petersburg, Va. Returned to Washington |
| 1944 | Moved from Washington to New York City, where he met his idol, saxophonist Ben Webster, at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem on his first day in New York Auditioned for Webster's group at the Three Deuces Club |
| 1946, June 22 | Married Theodora (Teddi) Castion |
| 1946 | Toured Europe with the Don Redman Orchestra While in Paris, Taylor formed a trio featuring bassist Ted Sturgis and drummer Buford Oliver Recorded The Very Thought Of You and Stridin' for Swing Records on December 4 |
| 1949 | Led the Artie Shaw Grammercy 5, a quartet formed by Taylor but fronted by the retired Shaw Became house pianist at Birdland after Al Haig vacated the position During his stint at Birdland, Taylor studied classical piano with Richard McClanahan |
| 1951, Feb. 20 | Billy Taylor Quartet (Taylor, John Collins, guitar, Al Hall, bass, Shadow Wilson, drums) recorded Good Groove, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams, What is There to Say?, Thou Swell, Willow Weep for Me, The Very Thought of You, Somebody Loves Me, and If I Had You for Atlantic Records |
| 1951, May 25 | Billy Taylor Trio (Taylor, Aaron Bell, bass and Kelly Martin, drums) recorded All Ears, Darn That Dream, My Heart Stood Still, and Double Duty for Brunswick Records |
| 1951, Sept. 29 | Joined forces with Miles Davis to record The Squirrel, Move, and Lady Bird, all of which are included on the album Miles Davis: The Complete Birdland Recordings released by Definitive Records |
| 1951, Nov. 1 | Recorded Cuban Caper, Cu-Blue, Squeeze Me, and Feeling Frisky for Roost Records |
| 1951 | Billy Taylor Trio (Taylor, Earl May, bass, Ed Thigpen, drums) recorded Piano Panarama in New York City |
| 1953 | Downbeat Magazine presented Taylor with the New Star Award, the first International Critics Award for "talent deserving wider recognition" |
| 1953-1954 | Continued to record and perform with a trio consisting of Taylor, Earl May, bass and Charlie Smith, drums. Three percussionists supplement the trio on its album Mambo Jazz for Prestige Records. Later in 1954, Percy Brice replaced Charlie Smith on drums |
| 1957, Jan. 8 | Recorded My Fair Lady Loves Jazz for ABC-Paramount Records. The session featured a large orchestra conducted by Quincy Jones |
| 1957, Nov. 17 | Organized a nine-piece ensemble to record Billy Taylor and His Orchestra for Argo Records in Chicago. Present for this session were Ellington Orchestra members Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Clark Terry, and Harry Carney |
| 1958 | Began disc jockey career on radio station WLIB in New York City Named music director for the NBC-TV series The Subject is Jazz Taylor's role as a spokesman for jazz and jazz education began during this period and gained wider recognition throughout the early 1960s |
| 1961 | Began long-term tenure as pianist at the Hickory House in New York City |
| 1962 | Music director for the pilot television show comedy That Was the Week That Was, hosted by David Frost |
| 1962-1963 | Continued jazz outreach efforts, including a two-year term at WNEW radio in New York City. Taylor returned to WLIB after its conclusion |
| 1964 | The New York Times selected I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free as "one of the great songs of the sixties." Although composed in 1954, it did not gain popular appeal until the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-1960s. Several recording artists would later cover the piece, including vocalists Nina Simone, Joe Simon, Lena Horne, and the jazz-rock band Cold Blood. It also became the theme song for the film Ghosts of Mississippi. Peaceful Warrior, a suite in four movements dedicated to the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was also composed during this period Taylor and the Harlem Cultural Council announced Jazzmobile, a project intended to bring jazz music to the streets of New York |
| 1965 | Gave lectures on jazz and jazz education at Yale and other institutions Worked on television projects: Captain Kangaroo, Rainbow Sundae, Exploring, Tony Brown's Journal, Dial 'M' for Music, and composed original music for PBS shows The Electric Company and Sesame Street Established Billy Taylor Productions |
| 1967, May 31 | Performed "Take the "A" Train" with violinist Ray Nance as a funeral dirge in honor of Billy Strayhorn |
| 1967 | The Billy Taylor Trio (Taylor, Ben Tucker, bass, Grady Tate, drums) recorded the album I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free for Tower Records |
| 1968 | Appointed to the New York City Cultural Council by mayor John Lindsay |
| 1969-1972 | Music director for The David Frost Show, becoming the first African-American music director of a nationally distributed television program |
| 1970 | Appointed to the National Council for the Arts by President Richard Nixon Recorded the album Okay, Billy for Bell Records. The orchestra was comprised of musicians from The David Frost Show |
| 1972 | Appointed to the New York Commission on Cultural Research by governor Nelson Rockefeller |
| 1975 Aug. | Doctor of Music Education, University of Massachusetts at Amherst; dissertation entitled The History and Development of Jazz Piano: A New Perspective for Education |
| 1977-1982 | Directed the Jazz Alive program for National Public Radio. Jazz Alive was also the title of an album the Billy Taylor Trio recorded for Monmouth-Evergreen Records. Taylor's Suite for Jazz Piano and Orchestra was among the pieces recorded |
| 1980 | Member, advisory panel that called for greater support for jazz from the National Endowment of the Arts |
| 1981, May 16 | Awarded honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music, Boston, Mass. |
| 1981, June 24 | Billy Taylor Trio and violinist Joe Kennedy recorded the album You Tempt Me for Taylor-Made Records. Let Us Make A Joyful Noise is recorded during this session. |
| 1981 | Received Peabody Award for Taylor-Made Piano NPR radio series |
| 1982 | Published Jazz Piano: A Jazz History. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Arts correspondent for the television program CBS Sunday Morning, where he conducted interviews with influential figures in music, art, and literature |
| 1983 | Earned Grammy Award for CBS Sunday Morning interview with Quincy Jones |
| 1984 | Awarded Downbeat Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 1988, Aug. 1-2 | Recorded Solo, an album of piano music, for Taylor-Made Records |
| 1988 | Named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts at the annual meeting of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) |
| 1989, Apr. 5-6 | Recorded The Jazzmobile All-Stars for Taylor-Made Records. The album featured nine compositions by Taylor, as well as Ceora by Dizzy Gillespie |
| 1990 | Teamed up with pianist Ramsey Lewis to record the two-piano album We Meet Again for CBS Masterworks Records At the suggestion of the Juilliard String Quartet, Taylor composed Homage for string quartet and jazz ensemble. The work was commissioned by the Civic Center of Madison, Wisc. to commemorate its tenth anniversary |
| 1991 | IAJE and the John F. Kennedy Center held separate tributes in Washington, D.C. in honor of Taylor's 70th birthday |
| 1992 Jan. | Served as Master of Ceremonies for the Jazz Master Awards presented annually by the National Endowment for the Arts at the IAJE annual meeting |
| 1992, July 22 | Awarded National Medal of Arts by President George Bush |
| 1993 | Billy Taylor Trio and Friends recorded the album It's a Matter of Pride for GRP Records |
| 1994, Mar. 18 | Named Artistic Director of Jazz for the John F. Kennedy Center Host for the series "Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center" |
| 1994, Oct. 10-11 | Billy Taylor Trio (Taylor, Chip Jackson, bass, and Steve Johns, drums) with the Turtle Island String Quartet recorded the album Homage for GRP Records |
| 1995 | John F. Kennedy Center commissioned Taylor to compose a work for jazz trio and symphony orchestra. On April 23, Theme and Variation for Jazz Trio and Symphony Orchestra was premiered at the Center. The performance featured the Billy Taylor Trio and the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin |
| 1996 | Created the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center |
| 1997, Mar. 1 | Billy Taylor Trio inaugurated the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage |
| 2001 Oct. | Library of Congress celebrated the acquisition of Taylor's personal papers with a concert by the Billy Taylor Trio, accompanied by the Juilliard String Quartet. His work Homage, for jazz ensemble and string quartet, was among the pieces performed |
| 2002 | Created KC Jazz Club and developed Discovery Artists Series for the Kennedy Center |
| 2007, Mar. 3 | Received Kennedy Center's Living Jazz Legend Award |
| 2010, Dec. 28 | Died, New York, N.Y. |