Art Porter, Sr.
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Arthur 'Art' L. Porter, Sr., (8 February 1934 - 1993) was an American jazz pianist. He was the father of jazz saxophonist Art Porter, Jr..
Art Porter was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on 8 February 1934. Porter graduated from Dunbar High School in 1950 and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Arkansas AM&N in 1954. Porter proceeded to earn his Master's degree in Music Education from Henderson State University in 1975. Porter taught at Mississippi Valley College, Philander Smith College and at several Arkansas high schools. Porter received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Shorter College. Porter served as the choral director, pianist, and organist at Bethel AME Church in Little Rock.
Porter never worked as a touring musician and instead concentrated on teaching and performing in his home state. Porter did appear in 1977 at the World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77) and at jazz festivals in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands during a 1991 European tour with his son.
In 1962 Porter formed the Art Porter Trio which performed around the state of Arkansas for three decades until his death. The group performed primarily at Little Rock night clubs. Many musicians journeyed to Arkansas to take part in the "Art Porter University". Porter developed a friendship with saxophonist and President Bill Clinton. In 1976 Porter established the Art Porter Singers.
Porter maintained a relationship with the Arkansas Educational Television Network and produced two very well-received programs for the network. "The Minor Key" was a weekly series portraying the black culture of Arkansas and "Porterhouse Cuts" which was a series of 10 programs aired throughout the southeastern United States.
Porter produced several albums including Little Rock A.M. and Something Else. On the birthday following his death the album Portrait of Art was released with the proceeds going to help young musicians.
During his career Porter appeared on stage with Pharoah Sanders, O. C. Smith, Steve Allen, James Leary, Little Rock Jazz Machine, Al Hibbler, the Northwest Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, among others. Porter's groups performed at the Eureka Springs Jazz Festival, Jazzlites, Wildwood Jazz Festival, Music Festival of Arkansas, Hot Springs Arts Festival, and at the Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation's Monday Jazz Series. Porter was the first recipient of the Arkansas Jazz and Heritage Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993. Porter is also a member of the Arkansas Entertainer's Hall of Fame.
Adapted from the article Art Porter, Sr., from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
