| Summary: | Jazz pianist, professor, and composer Billy Taylor was born in Greenville, North Carolina on July 24, 1921. He began studying music with Elmira Streets and graduated from Virginia State College in 1942 with his B.A. degree in Music. In 1944, Taylor arrived in New York City where he began playing the piano professionally with Ben Webster's Quartet. He received his M.A. degree and Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and served as a Duke Ellington Fellow at Yale University. Taylor was one of three jazz musicians appointed to the National Council of the Arts, and served as the artistic advisor for Jazz to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He also was the recipient of two Peabody Awards. Billy remained active, touring and recording with his Trio, playing concert dates, television, and radio engagements, writing music and lecturing until his death on December 28, 2010.
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