This Day in History: 1934-04-18

George Irving Shirley, an American operatic tenor and the first African-American tenor to perform a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, is born. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Wayne State University in 1955 and then was drafted into the Army, where he became the first Black member of the United States Army Chorus. He was also the first African American hired to teach music in Detroit high schools. Learn more.