From Tennessee Theatre Porter to Painter
W. James Taylor has always loved the smell of buttery popcorn and the soul-pleasing sounds of the Mighty Wurlitzer organ at the Tennessee Theatre - first as a teenager working as a porter in the 1960s, and now, as an accomplished musician and artist.
In April 1963, Taylor was working when students from Knoxville College were protesting segregation of businesses on Gay Street. He'd never participated in any sit-ins or protests, but he was drawn to the demonstration outside the segregated theater. He quit his job and joined the protest.
Taylor went on to experience different cities and cultures - as an artist and as a drummer in a famous funk band - before returning to Knoxville in 2010.
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The Story of W. James Taylor
In honor of Black History Month, the Tennessee Theatre shared the inspirational story of W James Taylor, who worked as a porter at the theatre in the early 1960’s during the time the theatre (and many other businesses in Knoxville and throughout the South) was still segregated.
W James Taylor was born in April of 1949 and grew up in the Austin Homes and Lonsdale Homes areas of Knoxville as one of eleven children. His mother, Geneva, worked for a wealthy family, taking care of the house and children, and his father worked for OK Rubber Company, Royal Crown, and finally as a janitor at Austin High School. When recounting his childhood, he recalls having eggs and milk delivered by a man with a horse and wagon and thinking that all white men were insurance salesmen. He also remembers meeting the first white student at his school during his sophomore year at Beardsley Junior High.
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