Jessye Norman backstage of Dido and Aeneas at the Opera Philadelphia, c.1982, by Bernard Gotfryd
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
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Norman, Jessye M. (15 Sept. 1945–30 Sept. 2019)
Bernard Gotfryd
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Norman, Jessye M. (15 Sept. 1945–30 Sept. 2019), concert artist, opera singer, and philanthropist
Carl DuPont
Norman, Jessye M. (15 Sept. 1945–30 Sept. 2019), concert artist, opera singer, and philanthropist, was born in Augusta, Georgia, as one of five children of Silas Norman Sr. and Janie King Norman. Her father was an insurance salesman; her mother was a schoolteacher. The Normans expected great things from their children even though racial segregation limited opportunities for African Americans. Music formed a welcome retreat; hymns, spirituals, and gospel music were a constant presence in the family home and at their place of worship, Mount Calvary Baptist Church. In this community Jessye Norman began singing solos at age four. At age ten she became inspired by broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera. Norman met an idol of hers when she participated in the ...
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Rose, Billy (1899-1966), songwriter, show business impresario, and philanthropist
William Stephenson
Rose, Billy (06 September 1899–10 February 1966), songwriter, show business impresario, and philanthropist, was born on the Lower East Side of New York City, the son of David Rosenberg, a button salesman, and Fannie Wernick. He was born William Samuel Rosenberg, according to most biographical sources, though one source states he adopted that name in school after being born Samuel Wolf Rosenberg. He grew up in the Bronx and attended public schools there, winning junior high school medals for sprinting and English. Medals and honors were important as proofs of stature and worth to Rose, who never grew taller than five feet three inches. In the High School of Commerce, he became an outstanding student of the Gregg system of shorthand, winning first a citywide competition (1917) and then a national competition (1918). In 1918 he left high school shortly before graduation to become head of the stenographic department of the War Industries Board, headed by ...
