DAWSON, William Levi

Born in Anniston, AL, Sept 23, 1899 
Died in Montgomery, AL, May 2, 1990 

• When he was a young teenager (13-15) Dawson enrolled in the Tuskegee Institute. He went on to study music at Horner Institute of Fine Arts, Kansas City, and the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago.¹
  • A biographical tribute from Tuskegee University reports that he ran away from home in order to attend Tuskegee, and that he worked his way through college doing manual labor.²
• Dawson was a bassist and trombonist who played both jazz and classical music. He played bass with artists like Louis Armstrong, and he played trombone in the Chicago Civic Orchestra.³ 
• Dawson taught at Tuskegee from 1931-1956. He conducted the Tuskegee Choir, which achieved international acclaim under his leadership.⁴

Biography from Tuskegee University 

1. Willie Strong, “Dawson, William Levi,” Grove Music Online (October 16, 2021), accessed June 9, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002249298.
2. “William L. Dawson Tribute,” Tuskegee University, accessed June 9, 2021, https://www.tuskegee.edu/student-life/join-a-student-organization/choir/william-l-dawson-tribute.
3. Strong, “Dawson, William Levi,” Grove Music Online.
4. Ibid.