Johnnie Garry (October 31, 1924 – March 13, 2018) was an American entertainment director, producer, historian, nightclub manager, and road manager for jazz artists Sarah Vaughan and Mary Lou Williams. He was the stage manager at the New York jazz club Birdland during the 1960s and later served as production coordinator and historian for Jazzmobile in New York City.
Early Life
Garry was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, as an only child. In 1928, his family moved to Harlem, New York, settling near the Apollo Theater on 127th Street. He saw his first jazz show at the Apollo, featuring Don Redman and his orchestra. He left high school to support his family and took a job in the Garment District.
Career
Garry began his career as a stagehand at Cafe Society in Greenwich Village. His neighbor, Josh White, recommended him to the club's founder and owner, Barney Josephson, who employed him as a stagehand and later promoted him into management. He worked as a stagehand for artists including Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, and Eddie Heywood, and served on Sarah Vaughan's management team for fifteen years, from 1945 to 1960.
In 1960, Garry began working at Birdland and rose to the position of club manager, becoming the first African-American manager of a major downtown New York City night club. He remained at Birdland until 1977. During the 1960s, he also worked at Club Sahara, another New York City jazz club.
In 1977, Garry was hired by Billy Taylor to work for Jazzmobile, where he remained until 2012 as production coordinator, technical director, and historian. His credits included production of the Philip Morris Super (Jazz) Band on Tour, an international touring festival, and Jazzmobile's free outdoor summer mobile concert series held throughout the five boroughs of New York City. He also worked as booking agent and road manager for the Bill Lockett Music Festivals and Jazz Cruises, and as stage manager for the Jazz Foundation of America's gala concerts.
Over his career, Garry worked with numerous jazz artists, including Billy Taylor, Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, B.B. King, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Sarah Vaughan, Wycliffe Gordon, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis, James Brown, Houston Person, Lou Donaldson, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Randy Weston, Christian Sands, Frank Foster, Monty Alexander, and Cedar Walton, among others.
Awards
- 2018: Jazzmobile's Jazzy Award (posthumously)
