Upon his return home from a Jazz Ambassador tour
in late 1956, Dizzy Gillespie and his band were invited to play at a White
House Correspondents Dinner, where they were presented with
plaques commemorating their service from President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Shortly after the event, some members of Congress began to complain about the
amount Gillespie and his band members were paid for their service, claiming
that the fees were “exorbitant” and a “waste of taxpayer’s money.”
When calculated out to a weekly salary, Gillespie was essentially making more
than the President. When questioned on this matter, Gillespie responded, “How
many notes can the President play at one time?”
Gillespie stated that “considering my position in the financial hierarchy of
America I got paid pretty well, but it certainly wasn’t any big deal,”
especially not when compared to what other American rock ‘n’ roll artists were
being paid. In
expressing his anger over the situation, Gillespie wrote “Americans don’t seem
to appreciate our own native music here, as well as people do in foreign lands
– in Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa . . .
Would somebody please tell me why?”
Quotes taken from: Dizzy Gillespie with Al Fraser, To Be, or Not ... to Bop (1979; repr., Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2007), 438 - 439.
Painting: Jeremy Sutton
Would somebody please tell me why?”
Quotes taken from: Dizzy Gillespie with Al Fraser, To Be, or Not ... to Bop (1979; repr., Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2007), 438 - 439.
Painting: Jeremy Sutton