Theodore Charles Stone (1912-1998) was a baritone who was known both for his performances and for his musical journalism. Born in Gainesville, Texas, he was orphaned as a child; he and his brothers and sisters were raised by his maternal grandmother. He took piano lessons in high school and graduated from San Houston College in Austin He moved to Chicago during the height of the Depression in search of opportunities to perform. He studied at Chicago Musical College (now Roosevelt College) and taught voice to support himself. He was the first African American to study at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, and toured throughout Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. U[on returning to the United States in 1939, he became a leading proponent for Scandinavian folk and art music. He also wrote his own press release; he then moved to writing columns and reviews for the Chicago Bee, the Chicago Defender, and the Pittsburgh Courier. During the 1940s he occasionally performed with the National Negro Opera Company. Mr. Stone was also active in professional organizations, serving as president of the National Association of Negro Musicians (1968-1975) and the Chicago Music Association (1954-1996). He was a member of the National Music Critics Association and director of the Music Arts Bureau. Away from music, he was known in Chicago as a designed and strong advocate for the fashion industry.

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For further information on this artist:

• The Charles Theodore Stone Collection, Chicago Public Library, www.chipublib.org/fa-theodore-charles-stone-papers

• McGinty, Doris Evans: The National Association of Negro Musicians: A Documentary History. Chicago: Center for Black Music Research, 2004.

• Floyd, Samuel. The Power of Black Music. London: Oxford University Press, 1996.