Loonis McGlohon (September 29, 1921 – January 26, 2002) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

. McGlohon was born in Ayden, North Carolina, and graduated from

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

. After a spell in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

during World War II, he played with the

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peop ...

and

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 1 ...

orchestras and became involved with broadcasting in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

, working as music director for

WBT (AM) WBT (1110 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station serving the Charlotte metropolitan area, including parts of North Carolina and South Carolina. First licensed on March 18, 1922, it is one of America's first radio stations. The station airs a new ...

radio and

WBTV WBTV (channel 3) is a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located off Morehead Street, just west of Uptown Charlotte, and its transmitter i ...

(Charlotte's CBS-TV affiliate). McGlohon was an accompanist to many well-known singers including

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

, Mabel Mercer and

Eileen Farrell Eileen Farrell (February 13, 1920 – March 23, 2002) was an American soprano who had a nearly 60-year-long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. NPR noted, "She possessed ...

. He was co-host of the Peabody Award-winning NPR radio series ''American Popular Song'' with his friend and collaborator,

Alec Wilder Alexander Lafayette Chew Wilder (February 16, 1907 – December 24, 1980) was an American composer. Biography Wilder was born in Rochester, New York, United States, to a prominent family; the Wilder Building downtown (at the "Four Corners") ...

. Among the songs that McGlohon wrote with Wilder are "Blackberry Winter" and "Be a Child". McGlohon, like Wilder, could write both music and lyrics, and for the song "Songbird" he wrote both. With Wilder, he also wrote music and lyrics for the former North Carolina outdoor attraction

Land of Oz The Land of Oz is a fantasy world, magical country introduced in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, W. W. Denslow. Oz consists of four vast quadrants, th ...

. For his hometown of

McGlohon wrote the music for LeGette Blythe's outdoor drama, "The Hornet's Nest," staged in June and July, 1968 at a new amphitheater at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. The two principal songs were, "This is the Day!" and "What Will the World be Like!" McGlohon allowed the College of William and Mary Choir to include "This is the day!" in its repertoire for many years. In 1980,

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

recorded two of his songs with Alec Wilder - "South to a Warmer Place" and "A Long Night" - on the album ''

She Shot Me Down ''She Shot Me Down'' is a 1981 album by Frank Sinatra. This was the final album Sinatra recorded for the record label he founded, Reprise Records, and generally considered an artistic triumph that evokes the best of Sinatra during this stage of ...

''. In 1985, he was commissioned (with his friend

Charles Kuralt Charles Bishop Kuralt (September 10, 1934 – July 4, 1997) was an American television, newspaper and radio journalist and author. He is most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on '' The CBS Eveni ...

) to write a piece in celebration of North Carolina's 400th birthday. The result was ''North Carolina Is My Home'', a symphonic work with narration and vocals which became a recording, public TV broadcast, live presentation and coffee table book. McGlohon was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999. At the age of 80, he died following a long-term battle with

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include en ...

. NationsBank Performance Place in Charlotte's

Spirit Square Spirit Square, also called Spirit Square Center for the Arts, is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its McGlohon Theater in the former First Baptist Church on North Tryon Street, named for Loonis McGlohon, is now part of North Carolina Blumen ...

was named Loonis McGlohon Theatre in a January 9, 1998 event. In 2004, the biography ''Loonis! Celebrating a Lyrical Life'' (written by Jerry Shinn) was published by the East Carolina University Foundation.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGlohon, Loonis 1921 births 2002 deaths Songwriters from North Carolina American jazz pianists American male pianists 20th-century American pianists People from Pitt County, North Carolina East Carolina University alumni Musicians from Charlotte, North Carolina Jazz musicians from North Carolina 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American male songwriters