| Abstract |
People who knew Loonis McGlohon will tell you that he was probably the most extraordinary individual they ever met: jazz pianist, Presbyterian choir director, songwriter, composer, civic leader, humanitarian, award-winning broadcaster, devoted husband and father. He chose to live and work in his home state of North Carolina, but he played before enthusiastic audiences across America and around the world, and wrote songs that were performed and recorded by some of America's most famous singers, including Frank Sinatra and Eileen Farrell. After graduating from East Carolina Teachers College (now East Carolina University) and serving in the military band during World War II, Loonis and his wife, Nan, settled in Charlotte. The city had a lively jazz scene, and there Loonis eventually found a permanent and rewarding day job at WBT radio and WBTV. Over a long career, Loonis won major awards as a composer, a radio and television producer, and as co-host, with legendary Alec Wilder, of National Public Radio's American Popular Song series. He and his friend Charles Kuralt created the unique musical tribute to their home state, North Carolina Is My Home, in celebration of North Carolina's 400th birthday. Loonis was also an enthusiastic and talented raconteur, and at the urging of his family and friends he wrote a number of sketches and stories about some of the great singers he had accompanied and some of the other fascinating people he had known. Shortly before his death, Loonis left those manuscripts with his friend, admirer, and occasional collaborator, award-winning journalist Jerry Shinn, who has woven those stories into the larger story of Loonis McGlohon's creative, gracious, and generous life. |
