<Begin Segment 4>

TI: Well, and going back to your childhood, were you exposed to a lot of, of culture growing up? Music, dance, do you recall that back in Lakeland?

CS: Well, in a sense, yes. And this is an interesting question because I never gave it any real thought. I have a music background. I studied piano for twelve years; I'm very good at it. The music that is called Negro spirituals is an art form that I am very well-acquainted with. I am familiar with the original form of most of the spirituals commonly referred to as African American spirituals. That's part of my culture; I grew up with it. I know good music, I know good spirituals, I know true spirituals as opposed to the modifications of the spirituals, and the so-called gospel music, which is not part of my personal culture, although I accept it as part of a trend. But when we were growing up in Lakeland, Florida, we lived next door to a music hall called the Palace Casino. And it was there that the great musicians like Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, all these other musicians would come and perform at that music hall. And this was back in the '30s, when hotels would not accept blacks, regardless who they were, so these orchestras and bands, later to become very well-known in the world's musical culture, would have these big housing buses that would be parked out in front of our house at the Palace Casino next door. And the musicians would play at the music hall next, immediately next door to our house, and some of the musicians during the day would come to our house next door to use our upright piano to do practice and redo their work. So I grew up with most of the big bands. When I was a child I had no idea how important they were, I just knew who they were, and I knew the sounds of their music. And so any of the big-name bands that were in existence in the '30s, I am familiar with because they would come to the Palace Casino next door to our house. Now, in terms of culture, I'm very proud of that. I can hear a Duke Ellington piece and remember having heard it played when I was a child. I can hear "Fatha" Hines play, and I could recognize his style. Art Tatum, people like that, all of these people, that's part of my culture. Now, this is a part of my African American culture that I clearly would not wish to deny. I'm very, very proud of it, and I draw on that. There are writers and poets, who are African American, whose works I am familiar with. I'm very proud of them, and I'm very proud to identify with them. And...

<End Segment 4> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.