Charlotte Dyer Enty Catlin (1903 – November 13, 1968) was an American pianist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who worked with

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

. Among her piano students was jazz pianist and composer

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take ...

Early life

Charlotte Dyer Enty was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Clever "Frank" Enty and Mary Jane Little Enty. Her father was a contractor. Her mother played church organ. She completed an undergraduate degree in music education at

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

in 1923, and was one of the eight founding members of the

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...

sorority's graduate chapter in Pittsburgh, in 1927.

Career

Catlin taught piano at Volkwein's Music Store in Pittsburgh, served as music director at a dance school, and frequently entertained at society parties where Catlin also encouraged Lena Horne to accompany her with her singing. In 1924, she accompanied tenor Ruby Blakey at a music festival, and soprano

Florence Cole Talbert Florence Cole Talbert-McCleave (born Florence Cole, June 17, 1890 – April 3, 1961), also known as Madame Florence Cole-Talbert, was an American operatic soprano, music educator, and musician. Called "The First Lady in Grand Opera" by the Nati ...

at the People's Tabernacle. In 1925, she performed at an American Music Day event sponsored by the Outlook Alliance. She was active in the Society for Music Study, a music club in Pittsburgh. In 1934, she played music at a Bahá'i event in Pittsburgh. One of her students was Billy Strayhorn. She began accompanying Lena Horne in 1939. In 1942, Catlin retired from her music career and began working for the City Recreation Bureau. She was director of the Ammon Recreation Center from 1950 until her death in 1968.

Personal life

In 1931, Charlotte Enty married Charles William Catlin, a post office employee. In mid-life, Catlin was known for her distinctive hairstyle—parted center, with two coils of braids covering her ears. She died suddenly in November 1968, aged 65 years, in Pittsburgh.

References

External links

* Charles "Teenie" Harris
"Portrait of Charlotte Enty Catlin"
(1940s or 1950s), a photograph in the collection of the

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art, is an art museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was at what is now the Main Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsbur ...

in Pittsburgh. {{DEFAULTSORT:Catlin, Charlotte Enty 1903 births 1968 deaths People from Pittsburgh American women pianists African-American classical pianists American classical pianists African-American jazz pianists Carnegie Mellon University alumni Alpha Kappa Alpha members African-American women musicians