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I hope all the members are reading and participating in the amazing Jukebox Genealogy newsletter. This month it came out and the request was for a genealogical discovery that is special to you. Something with an “emotional punch.” Make sure you send in your story— you know you have one…
I think my favorite thing about the Jukebox Genealogy is the music. I hadn’t listened to John Coltrane before, even though he has been mentioned in my beloved Michael Connelly’s Bosch book series multiple times. But hearing Mr. Coltrane when I clicked the jukebox made me go on a jazz-listening spree and then some historical digging. As one does.
Mr. Coltrane’s goal was to make others happy through his music and I think it’s wonderful that almost 60 years after his death, he is still doing just that with his broody saxophone playing. He released 25 albums during his lifetime and had many amazing heroes to follow and then that followed him.
He was born in a small town in North Carolina, in 1926 and, in 1938, his father, grandfather, grandmother and aunt all passed away. He was 12 and he took up the clarinet, which became his lifeline in this trying time. The big band era influenced him until bebop came along and Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie became his new heroes. He moved to Philadelphia in 1943 after joining the Navy, was able to take music lessons and then traveled as a saxophonist in wherever he was needed. It was a hard life, for sure and sadly heroin became a staple until Miles Davis picked him up and drew him to New York City. Following this, he played with Thelonious Monk and Ornette Coleman and came into his own.
He married Juanita Grubbs and he adopted her daughter, but the relationship didn’t last. He then married Alice McLeod, born in Detroit, MI and they had three sons, John, Ravi, and Oranyan. He died in 1967, leaving this amazing jazz behind to now travel with me.
I highly recommend you have as much fun with the CGS Jukebox Genealogy as I do. And give Mr. Coltrane a listen again.
Helpful Links
Events: https://www.californiaancestors.org/events-and-education/
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Tips & Talk: Oakland FamilySearch Center Family History Classes: https://www.familysearch.org/en/centers/oakland_california/classes
APR
2025