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Evelyn Freeman Roberts (born February 13, 1919)〔 is an American musician, songwriter, arranger and educator. After an early career as a swing band and gospel choir leader, she and her husband Tommy Roberts established the Young Saints foundation for young performers in Los Angeles. ==Life and career== She was born Evelyn Freeman in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Gertrude Evelyn (née Richardson) and Ernest Aaron Freeman. Her younger brother Ernie Freeman later became a successful composer and arranger on many records between the 1950s and 1970s. Evelyn and Ernie performed as members of The Freeman Family, and she also played piano in a classical ensemble. After meeting Duke Ellington after a performance, she determined to become a bandleader, and studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1938 she formed her own swing band, before graduating in 1941.〔〔(Biography ), The HistoryMakers, March 31, 2006] Retrieved August 5, 2014.〕〔Joe Mosbrook, ( "Jazzed in Cleveland - Part 67 - Evelyn Freeman Remembers Her Swing Band" ), December 21, 2001. Retrieved August 5, 2014.〕 Her orchestra, the Evelyn Freeman Swing Band, which also included her brother Ernie, performed regularly at the Circle Ballroom, Oster's Ballroom, and on radio station WHK, until many of its members were recruited by the US Navy.〔〔Joe Mosbrook,( "Jazzed in Cleveland - Part 24" ), June 2, 1997. Retrieved August 5, 2014.〕 They became the first African-American Navy band, stationed in Indiana, and were nicknamed the "Gobs of Swing."〔 Freeman herself continued to perform with a smaller group, which included Ben "Bull Moose" Jackson. After the end of World War II, she met bandleader Tommy Roberts. They married and moved to New York City, where she worked on vocal arrangements for the Wings Over Jordan gospel singers, performed in hotels, and worked as an arranger with vaudeville acts.〔 In the late 1950s, she reformed the Evelyn Freeman Orchestra with new members, and it backed such singers as Peggy Lee and Frankie Laine in Las Vegas.〔( Liner notes for ''Sky High'', Imperial LP12043 )〕 She also wrote "The Jelly Coal Man", recorded by Laine in 1959.〔 She released a rock and roll single credited to Evelyn Freeman and The Exciting Voices, "Let's Make A Little Motion" / "Come To Me My True Love", on the Dot label in 1958; both tracks were co-written by Freeman and Roberts.〔("Come To Me My True Love"/"Let's Make A Little Motion" ), 45cat.com. Retrieved August 5, 2014.〕 This was followed by the gospel-inspired album ''Sky High'' on Imperial Records in 1960.〔〔("Special Merit Spotlights" ), ''Billboard'', April 11, 1960, p. 37.〕 In 1962, the single "Didn't It Rain" was issued on the small Bel Canto label before being reissued by the United Artists label, and the ensemble also recorded with singer Earl Nelson.〔(“Didn't It Rain” by Evelyn Freeman & the Exciting Voices" ), ''45rpm'' blog. Retrieved August 5, 2014〕〔("Didn't It Rain" ), ''Discogs.com''. Retrieved August 5, 2014.〕 In the mid 1960s, she moved to Los Angeles. She continued to work as a composer and arranger for television, as well as for performers including Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and Louis Prima,〔 and ran her own club, "The Upstairs" on Sunset Strip. With her husband Tommy Roberts, she also established The Young Saints Scholarships Foundation, a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1967,〔Evelyn Freeman Roberts, (''America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals'' ). Retrieved August 5, 2014.〕 with the aim of providing free training in singing, dance, drama, television work and associated skills for young people, aged between 5 and 21, in South Central Los Angeles.〔("Young Saints Return To Jonathan Winters" ), ''Schenectady Gazette'', November 9, 1968, p. 21.〕 In 1970, the Young Saints performed for President Richard Nixon in the White House under Freeman Roberts' direction.〔 In 1989 it was reported that the Young Saints had about 150 participants.〔John H. Lee, ("'Saints' Brighten Poverty Outlook With the Arts" ), ''L.A. Times'', September 26, 1989. Retrieved August 5, 2014.〕 In 1993, Evelyn and Tommy Roberts received the Community Service Award in the Sixth Annual NAACP Theater Awards.〔("Youth Foundation Leaders to Be Honored" ), ''L.A. Times'', November 12, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2014.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Evelyn Freeman Roberts」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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