June Tyson

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

June Tyson was an American singer, violinist and dancer who became known as the regular voice of Sun Ra and his Arkestra. She was born in 1936 in Albemarle, North Carolina, and worked in the 1960s as a singer in Harlem. She performed in open-air musicals in Jackie Robinson Park in Manhattan. There, in 1968, she caught the eye of Lem Roebuck, the Arkestra's manager, who introduced her to Sun Ra.

Music and breakthrough

From that moment she stayed with the group until her death in 1992. She was the only woman in the band and sang solos, duets and call-and-response with the rest of the ensemble. Since 1972 she had performed regularly with the Arkestra and she can be heard on most of Sun Ra's records from that period. She also designed the costumes, made choreographies and played violin. When she developed breast cancer and could no longer sing, she kept playing violin. Her husband Richard Wilkerson was part of the crew who handled lighting and sound, and their home in Harlem was a regular address for the band members.

Influence

In free jazz and avant-garde jazz, Tyson is thus an important voice. She gave Sun Ra's cosmic theatre a human face and a recognisable sound. The album I Roam the Cosmos (2015) keeps her memory alive.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2015I Roam the Cosmos

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• After Hours: Session 3^NL Reader