Trumpeter, composer and educator Charles McGee died Sept. 7 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York after a long bout with pneumonia. Born Oct. 10, 1942 in Laurel, Miss., McGee graduated from Jackson State University with a B.A. in Music in 1966. He soon made a name for himself in New York, playing with many jazz stars, including Roland Kirk, Charles Mingus, Max Roach and Archie Shepp, who took McGee to Europe as part of his big band. McGee also made several television appearances on variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show. For his outstanding achievements as an artist and as an educator, McGee won grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and Meet the Composer, as well as the first Louis Armstrong Scholarship. Sadly, McGee did not live to see the release of his only leader effort, Finally, released by C.E.M. in late September. McGee is survived by his wife, pianist/composer Dona Carter, three daughters, four sisters, and five brothers.
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