1880 United States Federal Census Records. My Heritage
Tin Pan Alley, 1905. Hulton Archive
Tin Pan Alley, 1905. Hulton Archive
James Reese Europe was born on February 22, 1880 in Mobile, Alabama as the third of four children. His father, Henry, was born into slavery before the Civil War.
1880 United States Federal Census Records. My Heritage
"Wherever he went boys flocked around him. He swayed them willingly. He organized them into clubs with wonderful names and still more wonderful aims and purposes."
-Mary Lorraine Europe, James Reese Europe's sister
Mary Lorraine Europe in Washington, D.C., c. 1930. Collection of Reid Badger
Surrounded by music at an early age, Europe studied classical violin and piano. His family moved to Washington D.C. in 1889. In 1904, Europe moved to New York to play piano, following his older brother John, who was himself an established carabet player. From 1906 to 1910, Europe served as a composer and musical director in African-American theatre productions. Additionally, he participated in a wide variety of music groups.
The Frogs, an organization for African American theater professionals, 1908.
Schomburg Center, Photographs and Prints Division