William J Tennyson Jr.

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[1923 - 1959] A Louisiana Creole, born near the Bayou in Donaldsonville, Louisiana who after the passing of his mother at age 3 moved to New Orleans with his two younger siblings to stay with grandmother Mathilda, who owned a sugar cane plantation. "Bill" was a major part of Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance period. He attended a university in Louisiana at age 13, was a self-taught musician and one of the first of color to attend the world renowned Juilliard School of Music at age 16, a childhood friend of Louis Armstrong, and an ASCAP member since 1950. Near the time of his death and during the latter part of his career he partnered with Fay Tishman to found what would have been one of the few black music publishing companies. Tragically he passed in a car crash in New York at age 36, the same year after completing a hit record "Centerpiece" with John Coltrane. Fay Tishman went on to lead as a president for ASCAPs New York branch. Bill recorded and arranged music for artists such as: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Johnny Mathis, and longtime friend Louis Armstrong, to name a few.

William "Bill" Tennyson, Jr. also known as; Bill Tennyson or William Tennyson wrote and composed for artists: John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Johnny Mathis, and The Orioles to name a few. Bill Tennyson also wrote and composed soundtrack for a number of Louis Jordan films, one of history’s first breaking black moviemakers. Louis Jordan Films

Centerpiece - 04:52 (Harry "Sweets" Edison, Jon Hendricks, Bill Tennyson)

TENNYSON, BILL song w/LOUIS JORDAN 1923 NEW ORLEANS, LA "LOUIS JORDAN AND HIS TYMPANY FIVE" Circle 53 A:4 2:20 SALT PORK, WEST VIRGINIA [72979-A] (Fleecie Moore, Bill Tennyson)

Rough Ridin' (3:15) Ella Fitzgerald, Hank Jones, William Tennyson

"SARAH VAUGHAN: SARAH FOR LOVERS" Verve 440065330 (CD) A:12 4:35 WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE (Bill Tennyson) 2/14/1957 NYC, SARAH VAUGHAN: Sarah Vaughan (v), Jimmy Jones (p), Richard Davis (b), Roy Haynes (dr)