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Albert L. Murray

アルバート・エル・マレー

Albert L. Murray

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1916-05-12 （Nokomis, Escambia County, Alabama, U.S.）
Died
2013-08-18 （Harlem, New York, U.S.） age 97
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Writer, Literary critic, Music critic, Novelist, Essayist, Biographer, Professor
Active Years
1939-2013
Affiliations
Barnard College (Adjunct Associate Professor of Writing), Jazz at Lincoln Center (co-founder)
Influenced By
Ralph Ellison, Duke Ellington, Romare Bearden
Influenced
Stanley Crouch, Wynton Marsalis
Nominations
National Book Awards (finalist) - 1971

Education

Tuskegee Institute
Education / Education
Degree: B.S.
Period: 在学〜1939年
Year of Graduation: 1939
Country: United States
Attended on scholarship and received a B.S. in Education
University of Michigan
Period: 一時在籍（大学院課程）
Country: United States
Brief graduate enrollment; degree status unclear
Northwestern University
Period: 在学（1941年）
Year of Graduation: 1941
Country: United States
Completed additional graduate work
University of Paris
Period: 在学（1951年）
Year of Graduation: 1951
Country: France
Performed graduate study
New York University
English
Degree: M.A.
Period: 在学〜1948年
Year of Graduation: 1948
Country: United States
Received an M.A. in English using the GI Bill

Awards

ASCAP Deems Taylor Award
1977
Work: Stomping the Blues
Organization: ASCAP Foundation
Result: 受賞
Harper Lee Award (inaugural recipient)
1998
Organization: Alabama Writers' Forum
Result: 受賞
Honorary Litt.D.
1975
Organization: Colgate University
Result: 授与
Honorary D.H.L.
1995
Organization: Spring Hill College
Result: 授与

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Omni-Americans

1970 Essay / Cultural criticism

A collection of essays on race relations and American culture, arguing that the United States is a nation of multi-colored people rather than simply black and white.

Race relationsAmerican cultureIdentity

South to a Very Old Place

1971 Non-fiction / Travel/cultural writing

A reportage-style examination of the American South's culture and history, probing race and regional identity. It was a finalist for the National Book Awards.

Southern cultureMemoryRace

The Hero and the Blues

1973 Music criticism / Non-fiction

Essays analyzing the relationship between the blues and American culture, discussing music's cultural and social roles.

BluesMusic cultureAmerican culture

Train Whistle Guitar

1974 Novel

A novel featuring an alter ego named Scooter, following his growth from childhood to his career as a musician and writer; the start of a series.

Coming of ageMusicSelf

Stomping the Blues

1976 Music history / Criticism

A cultural-historical analysis of the blues' history, forms, and performance practices. Winner of the 1977 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award.

BluesMusic historyCultural analysis

Bibliography

  • The Omni-Americans (1970)
  • South to a Very Old Place (1971)
  • The Hero and the Blues (1973)
  • Train Whistle Guitar (1974)
  • Stomping the Blues (1976)
  • The Spyglass Tree (1991)
  • The Blue Devils of Nada (1996)
  • The Seven League Boots (1996)
  • Trading Twelves: The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison and Albert Murray (2000)
  • Conjugations and Reiterations: Poems (2001)
  • From the Briarpatch File: On Context, Procedure, and American Identity (2001)
  • The Magic Keys (2005)

Adaptations

  • Appeared in the documentary 'Bearden Plays Bearden' (1980)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Essayistic and conversational styleProse that incorporates musical rhythmsCultural-historical and critical approach
Recurring Motifs
Jazz and bluesSouthern memory and landscapeAmerican diversity and identity

Health

  • Heart disease
    1962年（発見） - 以後
    A doctor's exam in 1962 revealed signs of heart disease, which led to his retirement from the U.S. Air Force

Legacy

Albert Murray is known for his original criticism on race, music, and American culture, exerting significant influence through cultural analyses centered on jazz and the blues. He co-founded Jazz at Lincoln Center and his essays were reissued by the Library of America in 2016.

In Popular Culture

  • Appeared in the documentary 'Bearden Plays Bearden'
  • Frequently cited figure in jazz community and critical discourse

Quotes

  • "The United States is in actuality not a nation of black people and white people. It is a nation of multi-colored people."
    Source: Introduction to The Omni-Americans (1970)

Trivia

  • He was given up for adoption by his biological mother, Sudie Graham.
  • Close friend of Ralph Ellison since their student days; they influenced each other.
  • Co-founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
  • Retired from the Air Force after heart disease was discovered in 1962.
  • Inaugural recipient of the Harper Lee Award in 1998.