William L. Dawson
DAWSON, William Levi. b. Anniston, Alabama, 26 September 1899; d. Montgomery, Alabama, 2 May 1990. Distinguished composer, arranger of African American spirituals, conductor, and educator, Dawson ran away from home at 13 to attend Tuskegee Institute, where he played in instrumental ensembles, worked as music librarian, and toured with the Institute Singers for five years. In Topeka, Kansas, he studied at Washburn College and directed music at the Topeka Vocational College (1921-22). Moving to Kansas City, Kansas, he was music director at Lincoln High School (1922-26) and received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Horner Institute of Fine Arts (1925), but was not permitted on stage to...
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