Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame celebrates its 20th anniversary tonight. We learn about one of the inductees, groundbreaking ragtime musician, Tony Jackson on Chicago Tonight at 7:00 pm.
The Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame will be celebrating its 20th anniversary by inducting 11 individuals and four organizations on Wednesday. The local Hall of Fame is the only known U.S. government-sponsored hall of fame dedicated to honoring the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.
“It makes us proud that, even 20 years after our first ceremony, there are still important figures from the past and a constantly growing list of current Chicagoans whose accomplishments and community contributions merit being honored by the Hall of Fame,” said Israel Wright, associate director of the Hall of Fame Committee and secretary of the Friends of the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, in a press release.
Established in 1991, the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame recognizes LGBT Chicagoans for their contributions to the development of the community, whether through personal achievements or aiding others.
The Hall of Fame chooses its new members after public nominations are voted on by previous inductees. Nominees can include members of Chicago’s sexual minority communities from the past or present. Inductees can be individuals, organization, or those who have shown their support of the community.
This year’s induction will take place Wednesday, November 9 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St. The induction is free and open to the public.
Tonight at 7:00 pm, Chicago Tonight will spotlight one of the inductees, musician Tony Jackson, who is being honored posthumously. Born in New Orleans in 1876, Jackson was musically talented from a very early age. Wanting to reproduce church hymns, he cobbled together a rudimentary harpsichord out of backyard junk. He got his first piano playing job in his early teens, playing off-hours at a honky-tonk. By his mid-teens, he had acquired (and was recognized for) his considerable musical skill. Yet he sought greater freedoms as an openly gay black man than the South could afford, and moved to Chicago in 1912.
Playing in clubs and cabarets on the South Side, Jackson helped lay the groundwork for Chicago as a jazz capital. Jackson found acceptance in Chicago musically and personally, along the Stroll, the African American nightclub district around the intersection of State and 35th Streets, and the LGBT communities of Bronzeville.
Jackson was also known for his innovative, iconic ragtime style – replete with a derby, ascot with diamond stickpin, checkered vest, and sleeve garters. His voice and onstage antics were similarly unforgettable. He could sing anything from blues to opera, from baritone to soprano, and often danced an elaborate cakewalk as he played.
Although his music was never recorded, Jackson’s influence on music history was enormous, inspiring the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, Clarence Williams and Steve Lewis. Some famous tunes attributed to him are the “Michigan Water Blues” and “The Naked Dance.” He was officially recognized for penning “Pretty Baby” in 1916, perhaps originally written with more suggestive double-entendres than made publication.
He continued to perform until his death in 1921 at age 44.
Listen to Billy Murray cover Tony Jackon's "Pretty Baby":
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