- Born
- Died
- Birth nameDonaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II
- Donald Byrd was born on December 9, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Confidence (2003), Very Bad Things (1998) and A Bronx Tale (1993). He was married to Lorraine Glover. He died on February 4, 2013 in Dover, Delaware, USA.
- SpouseLorraine Glover(1955 - 1963) (divorced, 2 children)
- ChildrenDonaldson Tourssaint L'Ouverture Byrd IIIDonna ByrdJenai Desliva
- ParentsElijah Thomas ByrdCornelia Taylor
- [2000] Named a Jazz Master by the (US) National Endowment for the Arts.
- Held a bachelor's degree in music from Wayne State University and a master's degree from Manhattan School of Music. Studied composition under Nadia Boulanger in France. In 1982, earned a PhD in music education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
- From 1973, taught jazz at Rutgers and Howard universities.
- Was primarily a jazz musician (specialising in hard bop and jazz-rock fusion), but also branched out into R&B and funk. Created and led fusion group The Blackbyrds from 1973 to 1981.
- Frequently recorded with Gigi Gryce, Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, John Coltrane, Art Pepper (1958-61) and Hank Mobley.
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