Composers

Stephen Foster

Famous for writng songs like "Oh! Susannah" (1848), "Camptown Races" (1850), "Old Folks at Home" (1851), "My Old Kentucky Home" (1853) and "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" (1854). Not understanding his musical talent, his pioneer family provided little formal musical education. His knowledge of African Americans was drawn from minstrel shows for which many of his songs were written. Feeling that prejudice against these 'Ethiopian songs' existed, he was at first unwilling to risk his reputation by having his name appear on them. Had little aptitude for business, and his income was never commensurate with the popularity of his songs. Excessive drinking and extreme poverty ruined his last years. He died in Bellevue Hospital, New York City. Buried in Allegheny Cemetery, Section 21, Lot 30.

Henry Mancini

Raised in West Aliquippa, studied flute and piccolo, took lessons from Max Adkins, a Pittsburgh concertmaster and jazz fan. Fellow students were the great Billy Strayhorn and Jerry Fielding. Adkins introduced him to Benny Goodman as a potential arranger for Goodman's band. After graduating from high school, attended Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) and Juilliard in New York City. Goodman offered him a job and after serving in WWII he joined the rearranged Miller band. In 1952 was given a two-week assignment at Universal to work on an Abbott and Costello film and ended up staying for six years.

Success with The Glenn Miller Story allowed him to score other films and helped change the style of film background music by injecting jazz into the traditional orchestral arrangements of the 1950s. Was nominated for 18 Oscars and won four; in addition, won 20 Grammys and 2 Emmys, made over 50 albums and had 500 works published. Collaborated extensively with Blake Edwards - firstly on TV's Peter Gunn, then on Breakfast at Tiffany's which won him two Oscars; won more Oscars for the titles song for Days Of Wine and Roses and the score for Victor/Victoria. Best remembered for the title theme from the The Pink Panther.

Billy Strayhorn

Born in Ohio but is more often associated with Pittsburgh, where he spent a larger part of his childhood. Was friendly throughout his life with Lena Horne, another transplanted Pittsburgher. For three decades was the composing and arranging partner of jazz great Duke Ellington. Met Ellington in 1939 outside the Stanley Theater, now the Benedum Center; where the bandleader hired him immediately and the two worked together until Strayhorn died in 1967. His compositions alone or with Ellington include "Lush Life," "Chelsea Bridge," "Johnny Come Lately," "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" and "Satin Doll." His most famous composition, "Take the 'A' Train," was inspired by the subway directions to Ellington's home for their first meeting.

Billy Eckstine

His smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular music. Began singing at the age of seven and entered many amateur talent shows. Was hired by fellow Pittsburgher Earl "Fatha" Hines to join his Grand Terrace Orchestra in 1939 and by 1943, gained a trio of stellar bandmates—Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan. After forming his own big band that year, he hired all three and gradually recruited still more modernist figures and future stars including Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, and another Pittsburgher, Art Blakey. The Billy Eckstine Orchestra was the first bop big-band, and its leader reflected bop innovations by stretching vocal harmonics into normal ballads.

Hit the charts often during the mid-'40s, with Top Ten entries including "A Cottage for Sale" and "Prisoner of Love." Made the transition to string-filled balladry with ease and recorded more than a dozen hits during the late '40s, including "My Foolish Heart" and "I Apologize." Returned to jazz roots, making several albums during the early '60s (one with his son Ed who was the president of Mercury). Appeared on Motown for a few standards albums during the mid-'60s. After recording very sparingly during the '70s, made his last recording, Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter, in 1986. He died of a heart attack in 1993.