May 12, 1916

Internationally acclaimed author Albert L. Murray was born in Nokomis, Escambia County. A graduate of Tuskegee University, Murray often explored the richness that arises from the intersection of African-American and American culture. His writings include seminal works on jazz and the blues, the “Scooter” series of semi-autobiographical novels, and a collection of essays that presents an authentic analysis of black life. In addition to his writing, Murray co-founded Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Murray received numerous honors throughout his life, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle and the DuBois Medal from Harvard University.

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Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, 2007. (Fbv65edel, Wikimedia)

Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, 2007. (David Shankbone, Wikimedia)

Escambia County native Albert Lee Murray (1916-2013) was an accomplished writer of both fiction and nonfiction whose works include six novels and an autobiography of Count Basie. Murray also was an esteemed literary and music critic and co-founded, with Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center program in New York City. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, Courtesy of The Mobile Press-Register. All rights reserved. Used with permission)

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