Don Shirley
Pianist, composer, and arranger Don Shirley was born in Pensacola, Florida, on January 29, 1927. He began playing piano at age two, and seven years later had developed his skills so rapidly, he was studying theory at the prestigious Leningrad Conservatory of Music. Shirley made his concert debut with the Boston Pops in 1945, while the following year, the London Philharmonic Orchestra performed one of his first major compositions. In the ensuing years between 1954 and 1968, Shirley performed as a soloist and as a member of several symphonies, including the Boston Pops, Detroit Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington. Shirley also composed several organ symphonies, a piano concerto, two string quartets, and numerous pieces for piano. His musical language also encompassed tastefully mastered combinations of standards, show tunes, ballads, spirituals, and jazz performed with his own trio. Incredibly, Shirley also found time between performing and recording to obtain a PhD of Music, Psychology, and Liturgical Arts. Throughout the '50s and '60s, he released numerous albums on the Cadence label. In 1999, Collectables began reissuing several of those albums as two-for-one sets. Shirley died of heart disease on April 6, 2013.
© Al Campbell /TiVo
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Discography
18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Gospel According to Don Shirley
Pop - Released by Columbia - Legacy on Dec 16, 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Don Shirley Point Of View
Jazz - Released by Rhino Atlantic on Jul 26, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don Shirley Trio
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on Jan 3, 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don Shirley's Best
Pop - Released by Cadence Records on Jan 1, 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Solos
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on Jan 7, 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Concert Series, Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on Jul 16, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Gospel According to Don Shirley
Pop - Released by Columbia - Legacy on Oct 7, 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Series Vol. 3
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on Jul 31, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Series Vol. 4
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on Aug 2, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Series Vol. 6
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on Aug 13, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert Series Vol. 5
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on Aug 2, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Concert Series Vol. 2
Jazz - Released by ClassicWorks on Jul 17, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pianist Extraordinary
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on Jun 1, 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tonal Expressions
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on Jan 3, 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Piano Perspectives
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cadence Records on Jun 1, 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo