The Memoirs of Alton Augustus Adams, Sr

"The Memoirs of Alton Augustus Adams, Sr. tells the life story of Alton Augustus Adams, Sr., musician, writer, hotelier, and the first black bandmaster in the United States Navy. Born in the Virgin Islands in 1889, Adams joined the U.S. military in 1917 when America acquired the islands from Denmark. Although naval policy at the time restricted blacks to jobs as mess attendants and stewards, Adams and his all-black ensemble were inducted to provide a bridge between the primarily black local population and their new, all-white naval administrators. Adams continued to leverage his newly acquired prestige to the advantage of his community, most notably in 1924 through the band's triumphant publicity tour of the U.S. Eastern seaboard, which helped jump-start the islands' tourist industry." "Adams's memoirs, here edited and placed in historical context by Mark Clague, with a foreword by Samuel Floyd, Jr., reveal an inspired cultural activist who believed that music could change the world, mitigate racism, and help bring lasting prosperity to his island home."--Jacket.