William Grant Still learned the blues working for W.C. Handy and became familiar with musical theater while playing oboe in the pit band of Eubie Blake's "Shuffle Along."
Performer Biography
William Warfield, the narrator on this album, was born in 1920 in Arkansas to sharecroppers and became known as "America's Musical Ambassador" during his half-century career.
Composition History
William Grant Still's ambition to write an orchestral work based on folklore resulted in the "Afro-American Symphony" of 1930, the first symphony by a Black American.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in August 1995 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with tracks 17 and 18 recorded at Plymouth Congregational Church.
Album & Artwork
This album, "Skyward My People Rose," is part of the VocalEssence WITNESS recordings, which showcase the music of trailblazing African American composers.
Composer Biography
William Grant Still, the composer featured on this album, was born in rural Mississippi and grew up in Arkansas in a middle-class Black household that valued education and music.
Historical Context
William Grant Still benefited from the support available during the Harlem Renaissance, a period of acceptance for Black talent in music, theater, painting, and literature.
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