In Walked Bud.
“On July 31, 1966, he died of tuberculosis, malnutrition, and alcoholism1.”
A stark end to one of the most important figures in American music. Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell is one of two names mentioned above others when speaking of jazz piano, the other being the equally tragic Bill Evans. Equally unfortunate is that Powell is interred in an unmarked grave in Fairview Cemetery Jenkintown 2 Lot 48A Grave 2 in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
“An unmarked grave.” Blues singer and composer Robert Johnson has three tombstones, two at cemeteries where he is known not to be buried; And Bud Powell rests in an unmarked grave?
Not for long if Peter Pullman, author of the biography, Wail: The Life of Bud Powell (Peter Pullman, LLC, 2012), the Bud Powell Centenary Project, and the Powell family, have their way. It is the desire of this group for Bud Powell’s grave to be relocated to Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Bronx, New York, where Powell many of Powell’s contemporaries reside, including Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Max Roach, Cecil Taylor, and Clark Terry.
September 27, 2024, marks the 100th anniversary of Powell’s birth. The Bud Powell Centenary Project hopes to raise enough money for a headstone to be placed on his grave, at the plot Woodlawn cemetery has reserved for him. A generous donor wishing to remain anonymous has offered a matching grant of $15.000 once the same amount has been raised. The Bud Powell Centenary Project respectfully requests donations toward this $15,000 to help bring Powell home to rest among his contemporaries. All contributions are 100% tax deductible.
To donate, click here. The Bud Powell Centenary Project is grateful and thanks you in advance.
Granshaw, M., & Granshaw, M. (2009, December 19). Earl “Bud” Powell (1924-1966) •. Blackpast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/powell-bud-1924-1966/