George Washington Bragg (January 24, 1926 – May 31, 2007) was an American conductor and founder of the Texas Boys Choir.The Texas Boys Choir
accessed 4 July 2012.

Biography

George Bragg was born on January 24, 1926, in Meridian, Mississippi, to George W. Bragg, Sr. and Elizabeth Hairston Bragg. In 1934 he moved to

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, where he joined the famous Apollo Boys' Choir. On February 7, 1946, Mr. Bragg, a freshman at

North Texas State College The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

, founded the Denton Civic Boys Choir. The choir moved to

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

, in 1957 and was renamed the Texas Boys Choir. In the same year, the choir appeared on the "

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

Show." In 1959, George Bragg, Stephen Seleny, and James Walker founded the Texas Boys Choir School which three years later became

Trinity Valley School Trinity Valley School ("TVS") is a PK-12, co-ed, independent school in Fort Worth, Texas. Trinity Valley School has four main objectives for its students: fine scholarship with its fulfillment at college; the development of wide constructive int ...

. Under Mr. Bragg's direction, the choir grew in prominence and became a world-class musical organization. In 1961, the choir made its Town Hall debut in New York City. On the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, the choir sang at Hotel Texas in Fort Worth for President and Mrs.

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

, several hours before his assassination. In the 1960s, the choir appeared on the " Perry Como Show" and "

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

." After conducting the choir on a recording of his "Persephone," the famous composer Igor Stravinsky called the choir "the greatest boy choir in the world." Mr. Bragg received his first

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1967 from the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

for Best Choral Performance on "Charles Ives: Music for Chorus." The following year he received his second Grammy Award for "The Glory of Gabrieli," which was recorded in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy.George Bragg Grammy
accessed 4 July 2012. During Mr. Bragg's tenure, the choir gave over 3,000 performances which included 13 domestic and five European concert tours. They also performed on radio and television as well as with opera companies and symphony orchestras. Under his direction, the choir recorded 26 albums. Mr. Bragg left the choir in 1975 to share his expertise with other boy choirs throughout the United States. In 1994, Bragg was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. He suffered a debilitating stroke in 1996, and died a decade later, on May 31, 2007.George Bragg Obituary
accessed 4 July 2012.

Memberships and affiliations

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...

:# Alpha Alpha, 1969 (National Honorary Chapter) :# Gamma Theta, 1946 (

University of North Texas College of Music The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school among the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. It developed the first jazz studies ...

Chapter) National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Lifetime Member)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bragg, George 1926 births 2007 deaths American male conductors (music) Grammy Award winners University of North Texas College of Music alumni Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians