Wen Talbert
American musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wendell P. Talbert (died 1950), better known as Wen Talbert and sometimes performing as the Sultan of Jazz,[1] was an American pianist, cellist, and jazz bandleader.[2]
Talbert attended Wilberforce University and Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the latter for seven years.[3] Early in his career, Talbert was a member of the Four Harmony Kings,[4] a vocal group that performed in the Broadway musical Shuffle Along (1921).[5] He later led a band called Wen Talbert's Chocolate Fiends;[3][a] he was playing vaudeville shows with the Fiends as of 1926, when they appeared at the Pantages Theatre in San Francisco.[6] During the 1920s, he recorded with Rosa Henderson and Lethia Hill.[2]
In the 1930s, Talbert led the Negro Chorus of the Federal Theatre Project, which performed in several Federal Theatre productions including Bassa Moona and How Long Brethren? (1937), a dance by Helen Tamiris.[7][8] During World War II, he worked as a musical director of the United Service Organizations.[3]
Talbert was briefly married to Florence Cole Talbert; they were separated as of 1916.[9] He died in 1950.[4]
