Jester Hairston (July 9, 1901 - January 18, 2000) was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.
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Biography
Hairston was born in Belews Creek, a rural community on the border of Stokes and Forsyth counties in North Carolina. Stokes County is a County located in the US state of North Carolina. Forsyth County is a County located in the US state of North Carolina. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States At an early age he and his family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern His grandparents had been slaves.
He graduated cum laude from Tufts University and studied music at the Juilliard School as well. The Juilliard School, located in New York City, is a world renowned Performing arts conservatory. He worked as a choir conductor in the early stages of his career. His work with choirs on Broadway eventually led to his singing and acting in plays, films, radio programs, and television shows.
Songs
Hairston wrote the song "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956. " Mary's Boy Child " is a 1956 Christmas song, written by Jester Hairston. He also wrote the song "Amen", which he dubbed for actor Sidney Poitier in the film Lilies of the Field (1963). Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE (ˈpwɑːtie born February 20, 1927) is an Oscar - Golden Globe - BAFTA - and Grammy Lilies of the Field is a 1962 book by William Edmund Barrett which was made into a 1963 film and adapted for the musical stage with the title He was a noted arranger of traditional "Negro spirituals" and choral director. Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America.
Films
Most of Hairston's film work was in the field of composing, arranging, and choral conducting. Hairston also acted in over twenty films, mostly in small parts, some of which were not credited to him. Among the films he appeared in were "St. Louis Blues" (1958), The Alamo (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and In the Heat of the Night (1967). The Alamo was released in 1960 by United Artists, starring John Wayne as Davy Crockett, Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie To Kill a Mockingbird is a Drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and based on the novel of the same name by Harper Lee. In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 Film, based on the John Ball novel published in 1965 which tells the story of an African-American
Television appearances
Hairston appeared on The Amos 'n' Andy Show. Amos 'n' Andy was a situation comedy based on Stereotypes of African-Americans and popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s He had been in the radio program that was the basis for the TV show. He also played the role of Wildcat (1974-1975) on the show That's My Mama. That's My Mama is an American Television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 1974 In his senior years he appeared in the show Amen as Rolly Forbes (1986-1991). Amen is an American Television Sitcom produced by Carson Productions that ran from September 27, 1986 to His last television appearance was in 1993 in the program Family Matters.
Hairston died January 18, 2000 of natural causes in Los Angeles, California, just six months shy of his 99th birthday. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West
External links
- Jester Hairston at the Internet Movie Database
- African American Registry biography
- Interview with Jester Hairston, 1980
- Biography of Jester Hairston at Choralnet. org
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