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Johnnie Garry

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Johnnie Garry
Born(1924-10-31)October 31, 1924
Charlotte, North Carolina
DiedMarch 13, 2018(2018-03-13) (aged 93)
Windsor Mill, Maryland [1] Windsor Hills Historic District
NationalityUnited States
Occupation(s)Production Director, Producer, Road Manager (entertainment)

Johnnie Garry was an entertainment director, producer, historian, nightclub manager, and road manager for Sarah Vaughan and Mary Lou Williams. He was the stage manager at Birdland for over 60 years, and worked as a stagehand, and production director for Jazzmobile in New York City.[2][3]

Early life

Garry was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. His family moved to Harlem in 1928, with Garry as an only child[4]. He grew up near the Apollo Theater on 127th Street[5]. He saw his first show at the Apollo Theater, which featured Don Redman. He dropped out of high school and started working in the garment district to support his mother.

Career

His career as a stagehand started at Cafe Society in Greenwich Village, when a neighbor (Josh White) recognised Garry's ambition and work ethic. Josh White had recommended Garry to Barney Josephson, the founder and owner of Cafe Society. [4] Josephson also recognised Garry's skills to improve Cafe Society in other areas, and promoted him into the management side of the business, providing Garry with opportunities to learn about running a night club.[4]

This also provided Garry with the opportunity to come into contact with the road manager for pianist Mary Lou Williams. He continued to work as a stagehand for other artists such as Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, and Eddie Heywood. Garry was also a part of Sarah Vaughan's management team for over twelve years, between 1945 and 1960.[6]

In the 1960s, Garry was a manager for both Birdland and Club Sahara, jazz clubs in New York City. Garry would continue in these roles until 1977.[6]

In 1977, Garry was hired to work for Jazzmobile by Dr. Billy Taylor. He worked for Jazzmobile for 35 years as production coordinator, technical director, and historian. He served as production coordinator for the production of Jazzmobile's free outdoor summer mobile concert series.[4]

Garry worked with many artists, such as Dr. Billy Taylor, Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, B.B. King, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Sarah Vaughan, Wycliffe Gordon, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis, James Brown, Houston Person, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Heath, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, King Solomon Hicks, Randy Weston, Christian Sands, Frank Foster, Charenee Wade, Bobby Sanabria, Antoinette Montague, Monty Alexander, TK Blue, Cedar Walton and more.

Awards

  • 2018: Jazzmobile's Jazzy Award (posthumously).[7]

References

  1. ^ "Obituary of Johnnie Garry - Vaughn C Greene Funeral Services". Vaughncgreene.com.
  2. ^ "Jazz Icons: Sarah Vaughan DVD". Jazzicons.com.
  3. ^ "JOHNNIE GARRY - 'MR. JAZZMOBILE' October 31, 1924 - March 13, 2018". Harleminestop.com.
  4. ^ a b c d "JOHNNIE GARRY | 'MR. JAZZMOBILE' October 31, 1924 - March 13, 2018". Harlem One Stop. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  5. ^ "The Jazz Museum in Harlem". www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
  6. ^ a b "Jazz news: This Week at the Jazz Museum Nov 27-30". All About Jazz. 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2018-08-13. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  7. ^ [1] [dead link]