Willis Laurence James facts for kids

Willis Laurence James (born September 18, 1900, died December 27, 1966) was a talented American musician, composer, and teacher. He taught at Spelman College for over 30 years, helping many students learn about music.

About Willis Laurence James

Early Life and Music Studies

Willis James was born in Montgomery, Alabama. He grew up in Pensacola and Jacksonville, Florida. He went to the Florida Baptist Academy in Jacksonville. There, he studied the violin with Sidney Woodward.

Sidney Woodward saw that Willis had a special gift for music. When Willis was 16, Woodward took him to Atlanta, Georgia. In Atlanta, Willis became a student of Kemper Harreld. Harreld was a famous concert violinist and led the music department at Morehouse College.

In 1919, Willis James started studying at Morehouse College. He took many music classes. He also learned to play the violin and other instruments. He was part of the Morehouse Quartet and the Glee Club. He also played violin in the college orchestra. Willis was a very promising violinist. He performed many concerts as a soloist throughout his life.

After earning his degree from Morehouse in 1923, Willis continued his music studies. He learned from Oswald Blake and Edwin Gerschefski at the Chicago Musical College.

Teaching and Collecting Folksongs

Willis James began his teaching career in 1923. He taught at Leland College in Baker, Louisiana until 1929. While living in Louisiana, he started collecting folklore and folksongs. He was especially interested in songs from along the Mississippi River.

In 1927, a record company called Paramount released a recording. On this record, Willis James sang folksongs. He also helped write down the music and words for these songs. In 1928, Willis married Theodora Joanna Fisher. She was also a teacher at Leland College.

From 1929 to 1933, he taught at the Alabama State Teachers College. After that, he moved to Spelman College. He stayed at Spelman for the rest of his career. He became the head of the music department. He also directed the Spelman College Glee Club.

Later, he also became the director of music for both Morehouse and Spelman Colleges. He brought Joyce Johnson to Spelman College as their organist.

Festivals and Research

Willis James helped start the Fort Valley State College Folk Festival. He co-founded it with Horace Mann Bond, who was the president of Fort Valley State College. This festival ran from 1940 to 1955. Willis also taught there during the summers from 1941 to 1949.

He kept studying folksongs for many years. He was known for his own music and his arrangements of other songs. He had a special idea about black folksongs. He believed that "the cry" was their most unique sound. This idea got a lot of attention.

Willis James gave talks at many places. He spoke at college campuses and for professional groups. He also lectured at the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals. He even spoke at the Roundtables of the Tanglewood music festival.

He received awards from important groups. These included the General Education Board and the Carnegie Foundation. In 1955, he received an honorary doctorate degree from Wilberforce University. In April 1966, he gave a lecture in Lagos, Nigeria. This was for the opening of a new Center for the Arts.

Willis Laurence James passed away on December 27, 1966. He left behind a finished book called Stars in De Elements. This book was published in 1995. It came out as a special issue of the journal Black Sacred Music.