Jester Hairston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jester Hairston
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Hairston as Henry Van Porter on The Amos 'n' Andy Show, 1951
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| Born |
Jester Joseph Hairston
July 9, 1901 |
| Died | January 18, 2000 (aged 98) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Jasper J. Hairston Jester J. Hairston |
| Occupation | Composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, actor |
| Years active | 1936–1999 |
| Spouse(s) |
Isabelle Margaret Swanigan
(m. 1939; died 1986) |
Jester Joseph Hairston (born July 9, 1901, died January 18, 2000) was an amazing American artist. He was a composer (someone who writes music), a songwriter, and an arranger (someone who adapts music). He also led choirs and was an actor.
Jester Hairston was known as a top expert on Black spirituals, which are special songs. He wrote famous songs like "Amen" from the movie Lilies of the Field. He also wrote the popular Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child."
Early Life and Education
Jester Hairston was born in Belews Creek, a small community in North Carolina. His grandparents had been slaves. When he was very young, his family moved to Homestead, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
Jester's father died in an accident when Jester was little. His grandmother raised him while his mother worked. He loved listening to his grandmother and her friends sing about their lives. This made him want to save these stories through music.
Jester first studied landscape architecture at Massachusetts Agricultural College. But he loved music and joined many church choirs. A kind person named Anna Laura Kidder saw his musical talent. She helped him pay for music school.
He then studied music at Tufts University and graduated in 1929. He was one of the first Black students to attend Tufts. Later, he continued his music studies at the famous Juilliard School. In 1925, he joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
A Career in Music and Acting
Jester Hairston started his career leading choirs. His work with choirs on Broadway (New York City's theater district) led him to act and sing. He appeared in plays, movies, radio shows, and TV programs.
He sang with the Hall Johnson Choir in Harlem. This choir sang many songs using old country dialects. Jester, who had a Boston accent, had to learn these dialects. His choir leader told him, "We're singing 'ain't' and 'cain't,' and you're singing 'shahn't' and 'cahn't,' and they don't mix in a spiritual."
In 1936, the choir went to Hollywood for the film The Green Pastures. There, composer Dimitri Tiomkin heard Jester. They worked together for 30 years, with Jester arranging and collecting music for movies. In 1939, Jester married Margaret Swanigan.
Jester Hairston wrote and arranged spirituals for Hollywood films. He also created music for high school and college choirs across the country. He wrote the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956. He also arranged the song "Amen" for the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field.
Most of Jester's movie work was behind the scenes, arranging music and leading choirs. But he also acted in over 20 films. He played "Jethro," a slave, in John Wayne's movie The Alamo (1960). He also appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird and In the Heat of the Night. His very last film role was in Being John Malkovich in 1999.
In 1961, the U.S. State Department made Jester Hairston a Goodwill Ambassador. This meant he traveled the world. He taught and performed the folk music of slaves. In the 1960s, he led festivals with high school choirs. He taught hundreds of students about Negro spiritual music. His fun stories about the songs and his great personality made him loved by many students.
As he traveled, Jester looked for other Hairstons in phone books. He helped many Black and White people from his family tree connect. He wrote more than 300 spirituals. He received many special awards, including honorary doctorates from the University of Massachusetts in 1972 and Tufts in 1977.
Jester Hairston also acted on television. He played Henry Van Porter on The Amos 'n' Andy Show. He was also Leroy on the radio and TV versions of Amos 'n' Andy. He played Wildcat on That's My Mama. In his later years, he was Rolly Forbes on the show Amen. His last TV appearance was on Family Matters in 1993. He also played "King Moses" on the radio show Bold Venture.
In his final years, Jester Hairston continued to share American music with the world. He traveled to many countries with choirs he put together. In 1985, he took the Jester Hairston Chorale, a group with people of different races, to sing in China. This was at a time when few foreign visitors went there.
Later Life and Legacy
Jester Hairston passed away in Los Angeles in 2000. He was 98 years old. For his contributions to television, Jester Hairston has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You can find it at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard. He is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.
