Chris Barham took these iconic photos of Louis Armstrong on the front steps of his Queens home with the children in his neighborhood.

“African – American Musicians from Queens, New York – Their musical legacy has been striking chords for generations.”

In honor of Black History Month,  I decided to follow my book’s guidance about ” be curious and take time to learn more about others” by researching Queen’s African-American musical legacy.

In honor of Black History Month, I decided to follow my book’s guidance to “be curious and learn more about others” and research African – American musicians from Queens, New York.

I’ve always known that Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ella Fitzgerald, 50 Cents, LL Cool J, and Nicki  Minaj called Queens “home,” but this homework assignment taught me many important history lessons.

 Here’s what I learned about Queens’ abundant cultural legacy:

Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie , Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge,

Mercer Ellington, Thomas “Fats” Waller , Lena Horne,  Clark Terry, Cannonball Adderley,

Nat Adderley, Jimmy Heath, Milt Hinton, Illinois Jacquet, Oliver Nelson,  Cootie  Williams

Wild Bill Davis, Clarence Williams, Eva Taylor,  Jimmy Heath. James P. Johnson,  John Coltrane,  Fess Williams,  Scott Joplin,* Billy Holiday, Milt Jackson, James P. Johnson, Ben Webster, Reverend Run, Russell Simmons, Nicki Minaj, Nas,  Curtis Jackson( known as 50 Cent), Run-D.M.C., A Tribe Called Quest,  L.L. Cool J.,  MC Shan, Roxanne  Shanté,  Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga,  Marlon “Markey Marl,”  

Click on these links to learn more:

 The  Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center  in Corona – Elmhurst

 Louis Armstrong ArchivesBlack American Heritage Foundation Music History Archive at York College of the City of New York, the Black Spectrum Theatre and many other Arts centers. Festivals and Tours

https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/20/nyregion/where-jazz-put-its-feet-up-many-black-musicians-made-their-homes-in-queens.html

Queens Jazz Trail Map – Ephemera Press

Jazz – The Peopling of Corona (cuny.edu)

* Scott Joplin is  buried  in  Calvary Cemetery.

My “Learned -It -In Queens ‘ Lesson” – “The stories that connect us are hiding in plain sight”

Julienne B. Ryan is the author of The Learned  – It – In Queens Communications Playbook – Winning Against Digital Distraction” Learn more about her work at www. jryanpartners.com.