1910 – Mary Lou Williams Is Born
Mary Lou Williams, born on May 8th, 1910, was a groundbreaking African American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. A child prodigy, she gave her first recital at age ten and turned professional at fifteen, performing with Duke Ellington. By the 1930s, she was an acclaimed arranger for major bandleaders and joined Andy Kirk’s Twelve Clouds of Joy, helping shape the swing era.
Williams later worked with Ellington, hosted a radio show, and became a pioneer of religious jazz. After a brief retirement, she returned to perform at major festivals, launched her own label, and taught at Duke University. She died in 1981 at age 71, leaving a lasting legacy in both sacred and secular jazz.
1915 – Henry McNeal Turner Passes Away
Henry M. Turner, born in 1834 to free Black parents in South Carolina, was a minister, Black nationalist, and repatriationist. Largely self-taught, he joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church at 19 and became its first Black chaplain in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. He later entered Reconstruction politics, serving in the Georgia legislature before white resistance blocked his political ascent.
Disillusioned by racism, Turner became a leading advocate for emigration to Liberia and promoted AME missions abroad. He died on May 8th, 1915, in Canada.
1932 – Boxer Sonny Liston Is Born
Charles “Sonny” Liston, born on May 8, 1932 in Arkansas, rose from a troubled youth and prison sentence to become a fearsome heavyweight boxer. Discovered behind bars, he turned professional in 1953, known for his intimidating presence, knockout power, and dominance in the ring. In 1962, he won the heavyweight title by defeating Floyd Patterson in a first-round knockout.
Liston lost the title to Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) in 1964 and again in a controversial 1965 rematch. He died mysteriously in 1971.
