Ulysses S. Kay was considered the leading black composer of his generation. He was born in Tucson in 1917 and graduated from Tucson High School and the University of Arizona.
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BMI pamphlet
Ulysses Kay
The son of pioneer Tucson barber Sam Kay, Ulysses Kay was the nephew of famed jazz cornetist King Oliver.
Included in Kay’s catalog were more than 135 compositions with 20 substantial orchestral works. His music was performed by the New York Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C.
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1969 Star files
UA Pres. Richard Harvill presented honorary degrees to Sen. Barry Goldwater, Ulysses Kay and John A. Lentz.
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He also wrote five operas, the last one being “Frederick Douglass.” The work covered the later life of the escaped slave and prominent newspaper publisher. It was premiered in 1991 by the New Jersey Opera.
Tucson figured into at least one of his compositions. “Theatre Set” was described by Kay as a reflection of burlesque shows he’d seen in his youth at the Rialto Theater downtown.
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1962 Star files
Ulysses Kay, right, and his wife are greeted by TSO director Frederic Balazs.
Kay graduated from the UA in 1938. He left Tucson to pursue his education and career in 1940, but he returned on several occasions to conduct his works with Tucson Symphony Orchestra.
Among the many honors and awards he received was the Prix de Rome fellowship to compose in Italy from 1949 to 1952. In 1969, he received an honorary doctor of music award from the UA.
Kay died in 1995 at his New Jersey home. He was 78.
