Person

Lyricist, booking manager, saxophonist. Malaku Emanuel Bayen, Jr. born July 17, 1932 in Washington, D.C.; died June 3, 1994 in Washington, D.C.

Bayen was a royal prince, the son of the nephew (and personal physician) of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. His father had been sent by the emperor to study medicine at Howard University, where he met his future wife, Dorothy Hadley of Evanston, Illinois.

Writer, historian, broadcaster. Born William Royal Stokes on June 27, 1930 in Washington, D.C.; died May 1, 2021 in Elkins, West Virginia.

He attended Woodrow Wilson High School and then University of Maryland before serving in the U.S. Army. He then attended the University of Washington (BA, 1958, MA, 1960), and completed his formal education with a Ph.D.

Writer, historian, producer, stage manager. Born May 9, 1948 in Toledo, Ohio; died April 12, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

As a student at Antioch College, Brower was active in efforts to create a Black Studies program there. After his graduation in 1971 he soon moved to Washington.

Tenor saxophonist. Carter Randolph Jefferson, Jr. was born November 30, 1945 in Washington, D.C.; died December 10, 1993 in Krakow, Poland.

Jefferson came from a musical family and began studying clarinet at age 11, soon moving to alto saxophone. He attended Cardozo High School and was playing professionally from age 15, working with rhythm-and-blues groups including that of Ike and Tina Turner.

Drummer. William Henry Deppenschmidt, III born February 16, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Father was a professional saxophonist, working at the Roxy-Mastbaum Theater in Philadelphia in the 1930s. Family moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1940. Attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, Virginia.

Bassist. Merton Alexander Oliver born January 28, 1917 in Herndon, Virginia; died April 19, 1965 in Washington, D.C.

Led group at Log Tavern. Worked with Ralph Hawkins band (1942). Played in Washington sessions organized by Nesuhi Ertegun (1943). Worked with Sonny Dunham (1943-1944), Teddy Powell (1944), Boyd Raeburn (1944), Woody Herman (1949-1950), Elliot Lawrence (1950-1951), Tommy Dorsey (1952).