Marl Young
Marl Young | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 29, 1917 Bluefield, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | April 29, 2009 (aged 92) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1940s–2000s |
Marl Young (January 29, 1917 – April 29, 2009) was an American musician and arranger who helped with the merger of the all-black and all-white musicians unions in Los Angeles in the early 1950s. He later became the first black music director of a major network television series, Here's Lucy, starring Lucille Ball.
Biography
Young was born in Bluefield, Virginia, spending the first seven years of his life there before moving to Chicago with his family. He had begun playing the piano by age six.[1]
In 1947, he went to Los Angeles, where he became involved with the black musicians union, and in the early 1950s, was instrumental in the merging of the all-black and all-white musicians unions in Los Angeles.[2] Music scholar Steven Isoardi describes him as "one of the key figures in moving from segregated unions into an integrated American Federation of Musicians".[1]
After first connecting with Lucille Ball and Desilu Productions in 1958, Young went on to become the first black musical director of a major network television series, Here's Lucy, and his working relationship with Ball would span 16 years.[3]
Young, who had prostate cancer, died in Los Angeles at the age of 92.[1]
See also
Further reading
- Bryant, Clora; Collette, Buddy; Green, William; Isoardi, Steve; Young, Marl, eds. (1999). Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22098-0.
References
- 1 2 3 McLellan, Dennis (May 3, 2009). "Marl Young dies at 92; Pianist was key in desegregating L.A. musicians unions". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 19, 2025.
- ↑ "Musician Marl Young dies at 92". Variety. Associated Press. May 5, 2009.
- ↑ Johnson, Steve (May 5, 2009). "LUCY & THE MASTERFUL MUSICIAN – Marl Young recalls working with Lucy". Film Score. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
External links
- Marl Young at AllMusic
- Marl Young at IMDb
- Interview of Marl Young at the Center for Oral History Research, UCLA Library Special Collections, University of California, Los Angeles