Don Shirley

Born in Pensacola, Florida, on January 29, 1927, pianist, composer, and arranger Don Shirley took up the piano at age two. By the time he turned nine, his abilities had advanced enough for him to pursue theory studies at the Leningrad Conservatory of Music. His first concert appearance came with the Boston Pops in 1945, and one year later the London Philharmonic Orchestra presented an early large-scale work of his. Between 1954 and 1968 he appeared both as a soloist and with major ensembles that included the Boston Pops, the Detroit Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, and Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra. During the same span he produced several organ symphonies, one piano concerto, two string quartets, and a substantial body of solo piano music. With his own trio he delivered polished interpretations that wove together standards, show tunes, ballads, spirituals, and jazz. In the midst of his performing and recording schedule he also earned a PhD covering music, psychology, and liturgical arts. Numerous albums issued on the Cadence label during the 1950s and 1960s document this period. In 1999 Collectables began re-releasing selected titles from that catalog as two-for-one packages. Shirley died of heart disease on April 6, 2013.