Elmer Keeton
Elmer Keeton | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Elmer Keeton February 14, 1882 Rolla, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 1947 (aged 64) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Other names | W. Elmer Keeton |
| Education | Northwestern University (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, community leader, teacher, music director |
William Elmer Keeton (February 14, 1882 – January 1, 1947), commonly known as Elmer Keeton, was an American musician, composer, community leader, teacher, and music director in Oakland, California.[1][2] He was the founder of Keeton's Oakland Color Chorus, which was later known as Keeton Memorial Chorus.[3][4]
Life and career
[edit]William Elmer Keeton was born on February 14, 1882, in Rolla, Missouri; to black parents Elizabeth and Rev. Calvin M. Keeton.[4][5] His father was the district supervisor for the Methodist Episcopal Church.[4] Keeton attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he received a PhD in musicology.[1]
He enlisted in the 9th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and served as the bandmaster.[4] After his discharge, Keeton settled in St. Louis and worked as an organist for the Berea Presbyterian Church and Saint's Protestant Episcopal Church.[4]
He moved to California in 1921, settling in Oakland.[4] Keeton was the musical director of the Northern California WPA Negro Chorus under the auspices of the Federal Music Project, from 1932 to 1940;[1] and was the musical director of the Richmond Recreation Department in Richmond, California, from 1944 to 1946.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Composer's Funeral To Be Held Monday". Oakland Tribune (obituary). January 3, 1947. p. 22. Retrieved July 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Negro Chorus To Be Heard Monday, Dec. 29". Alameda Times Star. December 15, 1941. p. 2. Retrieved July 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Chorus to Perform at CC College". The Independent. May 14, 1969. p. 25. Retrieved July 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "William Elmer Keeton and the Oakland Colored Chorus" (PDF). Oakland Heritage Alliance News, Vol. 7, No. 4. Winter 1987. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2024.
- ^ Fried, Michael (October 1, 1996). "W. Elmer Keeton and His WPA Chorus: Oakland's Musical Civil Rights Pioneers of the New Deal Era". California History. 75 (3): 236–249. doi:10.2307/25177596. ISSN 0162-2897.
External links
[edit]- Archives at the Oakland Library
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1882 births
- 1947 deaths
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- 20th-century American musicologists
- 20th-century American musicians
- Musicians from Oakland, California
- Northwestern University alumni
- People from Rolla, Missouri
- United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel
- African-American United States Army personnel