Topics Related to Arts

Playwright, teacher, & humanitarian. Awarded Pulitzer Prize, 1927. His 16 outdoor dramas included The Lost Colony (1937). Lived 1 mile E.
Musician and composer. First conductor of the N.C. Symphony, 1932-38. Boyhood home 3 blks. E.
Outgrowth of N.C. Art Society. In 1947 state funded purchase of art. Museum opened, 1956. Moved here, 1983.
In May 1942 a group of 44 African American musicians broke U.S. Navy's color barrier, enlisting at general rank. Barracks were 1/4 mi. W.
“Libba” Cotten composed, recorded “Freight Train” (1958). Key figure, 1960s folk revival. Born and raised on Lloyd Street.
Jazz composer & pianist. Wrote "Take the A Train" and other songs for Duke Ellington Orchestra. Boyhood home site 1/4 mi. W.
During the 1920s-1940s, Durham was home to African American musicians whose work defined a distinctive regional style. Blues artists often played in the surrounding Hayti community and downtown tobacco warehouse district. Prominent among these were Blind Boy Fuller (Fulton Allen) (1907-1941) and Blind Gary Davis (1896-1972), whose recordings influenced generations of players.
Led effort in 1947 to establish N.C. Museum of Art; attorney & legislator; advocate of world federation. Lived here.
Bandleader, radio & TV personality, and host of the "Kollege of Musical Knowledge," 1938-1950. Childhood home of "Ol' Perfesser" was 50 yds. S.
Jazz pianist, composer, and architect of bebop. Wrote “’Round Midnight” (1944). Born 1 mile S.