Roger Segure (May 22, 1905 – January 28, 2000) was an American jazz arranger and songwriter. He was born in Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Segure was primarily an

autodidact Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individua ...

. In the 1930's, he managed singer

Midge Williams Virginia Louise "Midge" Williams (May 27, 1915 – January 9, 1952) was an African-American swing and jazz vocalist during the 1930s and 1940s. Although not as famous as other jazz recording artists, Williams was a respected singer and her group ...

and provided piano accompaniment for her tours of the United States and East Asia. He penned several songs for Williams with writer

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

. Later in the 1930's he did arrangements for

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

, Andy Kirk, and John Kirby. From 1940 to 1942, he was an arranger for Jimmie Lunceford.Determeyer, Eddy (2006) Rhythm Is Our Business. University of Michigan Press. Segure penned the score for Lunceford for the film, '' Blues in the Night''. He moved to Los Angeles, California, in the 1940s, where he worked as a musical director for television and in music education. Segure also helped integrate the Los Angeles chapters of the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, ...

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