Charles Burrell (musician)

This article is about the musician. For the landowner, see Sir Charles Burrell, 10th Baronet.
Charles Burrell
Charles at home with son Chuck
Charles at home with son Chuck
Background information
Born (1920-10-04) October 4, 1920 (age 104)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
GenresJazz, classical
OccupationMusician
InstrumentBass
Years active1938–present

Charles Burrell (born October 4, 1920) is an American classical and jazz bass player most prominently known for being the first African-American to be a member of a major American symphony (the Denver Symphony Orchestra, now known as the Colorado Symphony). For this accomplishment he is often referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of Classical Music".[1][2][3]

  1. ^ "Charlie Burrell, pioneer black musician in Colorado, releases memoir". Archived from the original on 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  2. ^ Hudson, Andrew; Steen, Purnell. "Charlie Burrell: A Denver Musical Legend". Denver Urban Spectrum. Archived from the original on Apr 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Williams, Emily (1 December 2014). "Professor releases book on life of renowned local artist Charles Burrell". CU Denver Today. Archived from the original on Jan 4, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)