FM
Biography
Wilbur Coleman Sweatman (February 7, 1882, Brunswick, Missouri – March 9, 1961, New York City) was an African-American ragtime and dixieland jazz composer, bandleader, and clarinetist. Sweatman was one of the first African-American musicians to develop a nationwide fan base. He was also a trailblazer in the racial integration of musical groups.
Wilbur Coleman Sweatman was born to Matilda and Coleman Sweatman. Wilbur's father ran a barbershop in the riverside town to provide for his family, which also included daughters Eva and Lula. His mother was apparently of mixed racial background as she and the children were listed as mulatto on some census reports. While Wilbur was still a toddler his father abandoned the family, moving to St. Joseph, Missouri and starting a new family. His mother persevered, continuing to operate the barbershop as well as taking in boarders. Wilbur received his education at the segregated Elliott School in Brunswick and helped out around the barbershop after school. His older sister Eva was responsible for much of Wilbur Sweatman's early music training, teaching him to play piano. Later Sweatman would become a self-taught violinist, and then taking up the clarinet. Over the years he would also learn to play trombone, bass clarinet and organ.