Clora Bryant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clora Bryant
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Bryant in 1982
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clora Larea Bryant |
| Born | May 30, 1927 Denison, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 25, 2019 (aged 92) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Trumpet, vocals |
Clora Larea Bryant (born May 30, 1927 – died August 25, 2019) was an amazing American jazz trumpeter. She was super special because she was the only female trumpeter who played with famous jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. She was also a member of a cool all-female band called the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
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Early Life of Clora Bryant
Clora Bryant was born in Denison, Texas. She was the youngest of three children. Her dad was a worker, and her mom stayed home. Sadly, her mom passed away when Clora was only three years old.
When Clora was a young child, she learned to play the piano with her brother, Mel. She also sang in the choir at her Baptist church. Later, her brother Fred joined the military. He left his trumpet behind, and Clora taught herself how to play it. In high school, she played the trumpet in the marching band.
Clora Bryant's Music Career
Clora Bryant received offers to study music at famous schools. But she chose to attend Prairie View College in Houston in 1943. There, she joined the Prairie View Co-eds jazz band. This band traveled around Texas and even performed at the famous Apollo Theater in New York City in 1944.
In 1945, Clora moved to Los Angeles. She transferred to UCLA. In Los Angeles, she heard bebop music for the first time. Bebop is a fast and complex style of jazz.
Joining All-Female Jazz Bands
In 1946, Clora became a member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. This was an all-female jazz band. She earned her union card and decided to leave school to focus on music. The legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie became her mentor. He helped her find work. She also joined another all-female jazz band called the Queens of Swing, playing the drums. She went on tour with them.
In 1951, Clora worked as a trumpeter in Los Angeles. She played for famous singers like Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday. Two years later, she moved to New York City.
Television Appearances and First Album
In 1951, the Queens of Swing appeared on television as The Hollywood Sepia Tones. This was a half-hour show on KTLA. They were the first women's jazz group to appear on TV! The show lasted six weeks.
In 1951, Clora was also part of an all-female group of six musicians. This group was broadcast for six weeks on CBS.
Clora Bryant recorded her first and only album, Gal with a Horn, in 1957. After that, she went back to being a traveling musician. She often played at clubs in Chicago and Denver. In Las Vegas, she performed with jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Harry James. She also toured with singer Billy Williams and joined him on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Global Tours and Later Life
During the 1960s and 1970s, Clora toured all over the world with her brother Mel, who was a singer. They even had their own TV show in Australia! In 1989, Clora Bryant made history. She became the first female jazz musician to tour in the Soviet Union. She made this happen by writing a letter to the leader, Mikhail Gorbachev.
After a heart attack and surgery in 1996, Clora had to stop playing the trumpet. But she kept singing! She also started giving talks at colleges about the history of jazz. She helped edit a book about jazz in Los Angeles called Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles. Clora also worked with children in elementary schools in Los Angeles.
In 2002, she received a special award for her lifetime achievements. It was the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Award from the Kennedy Center. Two years later, a documentary film about her life was released.
In an interview, Clora Bryant shared something important. She said, "Nobody ever told me, 'You can't play the trumpet, you're a girl.' Not when I started in high school and not when I came out to L.A. My father told me, 'It's going to be a challenge, but if you're going to do it, I'm behind you all the way.' And he was."
Personal Life and Passing
Clora Bryant married bassist Joe Stone in the 1940s. They had two children, April and Charles. Clora later had two more children, Kevin and Darrin.
Clora Bryant passed away in Los Angeles on August 25, 2019. She was 92 years old. At the time of her passing, she had nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Discography
- Gal with a Horn (1957)
Filmography
- 1968: The Rosey Grier Show (TV show) season 1, episode 18 "Clora Bryant, Sam Fletcher"
- 2000: Mysteries and Scandals (TV show) season 3, episode 25 "Humphrey Bogart"
- 2005: Trumpetistically, Clora Bryant (video short directed by Zeinabu Irene Davis)
- 2010: Leimert Park Voices (documentary film)
- 2011: The Girls in the Band (documentary film)
- 2014: Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story (documentary film)
