Allison Miner
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Elizabeth Allison Miner (née Crowther) (September 23, 1949 – December 23, 1995) was a music promoter and manager who was instrumental in the early production and was a co-founder with
George Wein George Wein (October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021) was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer.
and Quint Davis of the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...
and the later career of pianist
Professor Longhair Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980), better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday o ...
.


Early life

Allison Miner was born Elizabeth Allison Crowther in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
and grew up in
Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona ...
where she attended
Seabreeze High School Seabreeze High School is a public high school located in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. The school was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1989. Notable alumni * Duane and Gregg Allman, of The Allman Brothers Band, class of 196 ...
. During high school she performed as a vocalist with her friend and classmate
Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock and blues guitarist and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam ...
and his brother Gregg's fledgling band at local venues under the billing ''A. Miner & The
Allman Joys The Allman Joys was an early band with Duane and Gregg Allman fronting. It was originally the Escorts, but it eventually evolved into the Allman Joys. Duane Allman quit high school to spend his days at home practicing guitar. They auditioned for ...
''. The brothers would go on to become
The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards), as well as Dickey Betts ( ...
.


Career


New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

After moving to
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
in 1968, Miner began a career as a music manager, archivist and festival promoter. When
George Wein George Wein (October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021) was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer.
, the founder of the
Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...
and
Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...
, asked the
Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...
Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
archive's then-director Richard (Dick) Allen to recommend people who could help him launch a New Orleans music festival in
Congo Square Congo Square () is an open space, now within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The square is famous for its influence on the ...
, he suggested his employee Miner. Later, Miner and Quint Davis began rounding up interested musicians. The first festival had so few attendees that the staff ended up giving tickets away at a nearby school. The festival grew into what is today the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Miner helped run the festival for its first five years. She is primarily credited with the co-founding of both the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation and primary founder of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archives. The Archive contains recordings from musicians interviewed at the festival and other culturally relevant documents, photographs, and ephemera related to the festival and the foundation's holdings, including samples of on-air recordings of
WWOZ WWOZ (90.7 FM) is a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans. It is owned by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The station specializes in music from or relating to the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the sur ...
90.7-FM. When the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival could not hold an ‘in person’ event, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archives provided many hours of prior recordings that the station was able to use in broadcast during the COVID19 pandemic shutdown in a financally successful “Festing In Place” campaign that was repeated multiple times by the station to raise funds. In 2019, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archives were the key source material used for the
Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was f ...
recordings 50th anniversary box set of live festival recordings.


Music Manager and Producer

Miner went on to guide the career of
Professor Longhair Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980), better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday o ...
, aka Henry Roeland Byrd, from the mid-1970s until his death in 1980. During those years, he toured overseas, produced popular recordings and gained critical acclaim. Her husband at the time, Andrew Kaslow, led Professor Longhair's back-up band. "Her devotion to Professor Longhair gave him the best years of his life,” George Wein was quoted as saying in Miner's obituary that ran in ''
The Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune , The New Orleans Advocate'' (commonly called ''The Times-Picayune'' or the ''T-P'') is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ancestral publications of other names date back to January 25, 1837. The cu ...
''. Miner and Kaslow moved to
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
in the mid-1980s, where she produced a Cajun and zydeco radio show at
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...
on
WRUW WRUW-FM (91.1  FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio. Owned by Case Western Reserve University, the station serves Greater Cleveland and is student-run, carrying a combined college and variety format ...
91.1, led the National Folk Festival at the
Cuyahoga Valley National Park Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in Ohio that reclaims and preserves the industrial, commercial, and rural landscape along the Cuyahoga River between Akron, Ohio, ...
and was development director at the Cleveland Music School Settlement. In later years when Miner moved back to New Orleans, she managed and booked tours in the early career of The Rebith Brass Band who’s founding members included trumpeter
Kermit Ruffins Kermit Ruffins (born December 19, 1964) is an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer from New Orleans. He has been influenced by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan and says that the highest note he can hit on trumpet is a high C. He often a ...
.


Return to Jazz Fest and New Orleans

Miner returned to
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
in 1988, creating the Jazz Fest's Music Heritage Stage, which features interviews with performers. "...'This is my way of bringing the
Jazz Fest The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...
back to the way it was in the old days, like sitting around the living room floor and getting to know these people,' she said in a 1990 interview. 'It was our way of having a more intimate involvement with the musicians.... We talk and they perform and answer questions from the audience. People say it's like the
Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
part of the festival.' Miner, who also became the festival's first archivist, said that
Jazz Fest The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...
'is a reflection of what the world needs to know about New Orleans music.'...". The Music Heritage stage was late
renamed as The Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage
in her honor.


Death and legacy

In December 1995, Miner succumbed to complications from
multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...
, at age 46. Her memorial service and traditional New Orleans jazz funeral were held at City Park and attended by hundreds of people, including many notable musicians from the city such as
Kermit Ruffins Kermit Ruffins (born December 19, 1964) is an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer from New Orleans. He has been influenced by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan and says that the highest note he can hit on trumpet is a high C. He often a ...
, the
Rebirth Brass Band The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1983 by Phillip "Tuba Phil" Frazier, his brother Keith Frazier, Kermit Ruffins,Skelly, RichardAllMusic Profile Retrieved 2013-02-9 and classmates from Joseph S. Cla ...
and the Zion Harmonizers. Amy Nesbitt created a documentary about Miner based on interviews during the final two years of her life, Reverence: A Tribute To Allison Miner'. The project won the New Orleans Film Festival award for Best Short 1996. The film was produced through the nonprofit Video Veracity which continues to facilitate dozens of other New Orleans-focused documentaries and independent films today. Dozens of interviews of crew members who built the festival and local luminaries as well as footage of Miner's memorial ceremony have been gifted by the filmmaker for educational purposes to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation Archive, which Miner created for the foundation. The Heritage Stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival grounds was renamed the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage. After
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
, the stage was temporarily merged with the Lagniappe Stage which is housed in the grandstand, and in 2009 it was reinstated as a full stage. Miner's 1997 book ''Jazz Fest Memories'' was published posthumously through
Pelican Publishing Company Pelican Publishing Company is a book publisher based in Elmwood, Louisiana, with a New Orleans postal address. - The address states "New Orleans, LA" but the physical location iin the Elmwood CDPSir Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, aft ...
on her father's side. Her uncle Frank Crowther was a speechwriter for
Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...
in the 1960s and close personal friend to
Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...
. Her paternal grandfather Rodney Crowther was the chief war correspondent in Europe during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
for ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...
''. She is survived by her two sons, Jonathan Kaslow and Rashi Montefiore Kaslow.


References


External links


Reverence: A Tribute to Allison Miner
a short documentary offering a look at the life and work of Allison Miner through her own words (Produced and directed by Amy Nesbitt)
Obituary: Allison Miner
a personal obituary by Jerry Brock, published on February 1, 1996, at the OffBeat Magazine (retrieved September 10, 2018)

Allison Miner: A Community Activist and Archivist Legacy as described on the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation homepage.

The homepage of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation Archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Miner, Allison 1949 births 1995 deaths Deaths from multiple myeloma in the United States Businesspeople from Baltimore American music managers Seabreeze High School alumni 20th-century American businesspeople