Music Pittsburgh has a long tradition of jazz, blues, and bluegrass music. The National Negro Opera Company was founded in the city as the first all African-American opera company in the United States. This led to the prominence of African-American singers like Leontyne Price in the world of opera. One of the greatest American musicians and composers of the 20th century, Billy Strayhorn, grew up and was educated in Pittsburgh, as was pianist/composer-arranger Mary Lou Williams, who composed and recorded an eponymous tribute to her home town in 1966,"The Wax Works: Mary Lou Williams Pens Song About Pittsburgh". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 22, 1966. p. 13. Retrieved March 8, 2024. featuring vocalist Leon Thomas."Mary Lou Williams and Group – Pittsburgh: Tracklist; Credits". Discogs.
Music Pittsburgh has a long tradition of jazz, blues, and bluegrass music. The National Negro Opera Company was founded in the city as the first all African-American opera company in the United States. This led to the prominence of African-American singers like Leontyne Price in the world of opera. One of the greatest American musicians and composers of the 20th century, Billy Strayhorn, grew up and was educated in Pittsburgh, as was pianist/composer-arranger Mary Lou Williams, who composed and recorded an eponymous tribute to her home town in 1966,"The Wax Works: Mary Lou Williams Pens Song About Pittsburgh". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 22, 1966. p. 13. Retrieved March 8, 2024. featuring vocalist Leon Thomas."Mary Lou Williams and Group – Pittsburgh Tracklist; Credits". Discogs.