Overview In early 2020, the Historic Designation Advisory Board (HDAB) of the City of Detroit will decide whether or not to recommend creating a local Historic District for the Legendary Blue Bird Inn (The Bird). To support their decision, we have organized source materials below from our collections and online that we hope will begin […]
Summary Information Title: Graystone International Jazz Museum Collection Creator: Graystone International Jazz Museum Accession Number: Inclusive Dates: Bulk Dates: 1974-2001 Extent: 9 boxes Abstract: Language Repository: English Repository: Detroit Sound Conservancy Access and Use Access Restrictions: See policies Copyright: Preferred Citation: Collection History Acquisition History: In 2014, the Detroit Sound Conservancy was gifted the remaining […]
McKinney’s Cotton Pickers, a black dance orchestra active from 1927 to 1934, served as the house band at Detroit’s Graystone Ballroom under Jean Goldkette management in the late 1920s. Under the direction of William McKinney (1895–1969) and saxophonist-arranger Don Redman (1900–1964), McKinney’s band rivaled the famous Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson orchestras during its existence. […]
Preface This manuscript is the product of a tape recorded interview with James T. Jenkins conducted by Deborah Evans for the Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library on June 7, 1988. Deborah Evans transferred the tape and James T. Jenkins [1916-1994] edited the transcript. James T. Jenkins is the Founder and Director of […]
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