Articles by Peter O'Brien

Memories of Mary Lou

by Peter O'Brien
May 4, 2006

I met Mary Lou Williams in the pages of Time Magazine. It was early 1964. She was 53 years old and I was 23. The article, under MUSIC, was in two parts--each about a different woman. The first concerned itself with Sarah Caldwell. Ms. Caldwell directed and produced operas and was the inventor of The Boston Opera Company. The sub-heading over her section of the story read: “The Persistent One . The second half dealt with Mary Lou Williams, the ...